Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is adamant there is no rift between himself and captain Vincent Kompany.
However, Pellegrini would not confirm that Kompany will return to the starting line-up for Sunday’s Manchester derby against United at Old Trafford.
Kompany was left on the bench for home wins over Bournemouth and Sevilla in the last week after Pellegrini expressed his frustration that the defender played for Belgium in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
The 29-year-old had missed City’s previous five games with a calf injury and Pellegrini had insisted he would not be fit to play during the international break.
Pellegrini denies the defender is being punished for representing his country and intimated that he feels Kompany may not quite be fit enough for the rigours of a keenly-contested derby.
“I don’t have any problem with Vincent Kompany,” said Pellegrini. “Every week I need to choose the starting 11, the 11 that I think is best for that game.
“The other players must wait, it is exactly the same for all the players in the squad.
“I don’t punish Vincent and I don’t have any problems in the relationship with Vincent. I think after one month or five weeks without playing, and without training, you may be fit, but you are not ready to play an important game.
“It is important for him to work some days before he will return to the team.
“It is crucial to play with the best players for the moment. Football is moments and, now, (Eliaquim) Mangala and (Nicolas) Otamendi are doing well.”
City go into the derby without some key attacking players in the form of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero.
Wilfried Bony is left as City’s only fit senior striker but Pellegrini thinks Kevin de Bruyne could play up front if required.
He said: “I think that our team, if you remember last season, we have a lot of different ways to play.
“Last season we had strikers injured and we played with James Milner, and Milner scored two goals I think, in two or three games, and our team scored 15 goals without strikers.
“I think the players have the characteristics to play in different ways and every one of them can score. De Bruyne is not a striker but we could use him.”
Pellegrini accepts that Sunday’s match is of massive significance and added: “For the city it’s always a special game, it’s the same for the team and the manager.
“It’s a very important three points. I always say that it’s a match of six points because it is a match against a team that is behind you, but it is not a game that will decide the title this year.”
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