Vincent Kompany admits it was a “privilege” to share the touchline with Roy Hodgson ahead of Burnley’s upcoming clash with Crystal Palace.
The experienced boss announced he was stepping down from his role at Selhurst Park at the start of the week following a poor run of form.
The 76-year-old had also been rushed to hospital after collapsing in training, but is now said to be recovering well at home.
Prior to Burnley’s journey to South London, Kompany wished the former England manager well.
“It’s a privilege for me to manage and share the touchline with people of his experience, even though I’ve played against his teams,” he remarked.
“I recall that he was quite giving of his time following the Turf Moor game. We had a stimulating conversation.
“These guys have a wealth of experience in a variety of scenarios, and I felt honored to have him on the touchline.” I hope he’s happy and well.
Palace will instead be led by new manager Oliver Glasner, who will take charge of his first game on Saturday afternoon.
The Austrian enjoyed a successful spent with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, leading them to Europa League glory in 2022.
While taking on a team with a new boss might make preparation a little tricky, Kompany is aware of how Glasner’s sides normally tend to play.
“That side of it, nowadays you get the opportunity to thoroughly analyse teams so of course we’ve done that,” he said.
“He’s a coach with a lot of clarity in what he does. He sets up in a very clear way with a lot of intent in their game.
“It’s the Premier League though, so every week we play against great managers and people trying to bring something to the league. That’s the beauty of this league.”
Kompany added: “Preparation does change, because usually you have your own processes where you can watch the last five, six or seven games of the opponent and look for finer details of weaknesses and things within that to build a game plan with a fair amount of certainty about what you’re about to face.
“That’s the tactical side, but the players still have to perform. As the manager you’re having to probably take a slightly different approach but on the day, the team that shows form, desire and intent is the team that has the biggest chance to win, it’s as simple as that.”
