Vincent Kompany has hailed Liverpool defender Andy Robertson as a perfect role model after his stunning rise from amateur to star man for club and country.
The Belgium and Manchester City skipper spoke warmly of the 24-year-old in the wake of his team’s 4-0 demolition of Scotland on Friday night.
“Andy is playing to such a high level with Liverpool and now he is captain of his country, ” Kompany told the Sun. “He has come a long way in a short space of time.”
The three-times Premier League winner is convinced that left-back Robertson is the perfect role model for any aspiring young footballer following a meteoric rise in recent years.
He told the Sun: “I think he is a great example. If you look at every single club, you will find a lot of young lads coming through who used to be ball boys.
“If you are in the world of football, there is a chance for you to do well. If you have work-rate and desire and ability like him, then it is not so much of a surprise.”
OPINION
There are few better or more insightful talkers among current Premier League players than Kompany. His acclaim of Robertson is generous and warm, too, and proof of the esteem in which the left-back is now held among his peers. It is remarkable, given not only that the 24-year-old was an amateur at Queens Park five years ago after being rejected by Celtic and was working at Hampden Park when he handed a then-injured Kompany a programme in a VIP suite. But Robertson could also not get a look-in at Liverpool this time last year following his £8million summer-of-2017 move from Hull City. Alberto Moreno was the first choice and it took an ankle injury to the Spaniard in December to pave the way for Robertson to establish himself as the club’s premier left-back. The Scot’s status is now undisputed after an outstanding 2018 in which he has been one of the best full-backs on either side in the Premier League.