Otamendi admits Manchester City miss Kompany

Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi believes it is only logical they are struggling defensively without Vincent Kompany.

Nicolas Otamendi hopes to be playing alongside Vincent Kompany again "as quickly as possible", conceding that Manchester City are not the same side without their captain in the team.

The Belgium international has been limited to nine starts in all competitions this season by a calf injury, although City have conceded a mere three goals and kept seven clean sheets in those games.

A 4-1 thrashing at home to Liverpool, as well as defeats at Stoke City and Arsenal have been suffered in Kompany's absence.

Otamendi feels it is only logical Kompany is being missed and believes any team in the world would struggle without a player of the Belgian's calibre.

"We have all been subjected to some criticism at some point this season, but any team would miss Vinny. He is a top player, he is aggressive on the pitch and he has been a big loss for us," Otamendi told The Independent.

"We hope to get him back as quickly as possible and that anyone the manager puts in to replace him can stay solid during that time. The games I played together with Vinny, I really enjoyed the partnership, both in the derby against Manchester United and in the Champions League against Sevilla. 

"I felt we were developing something there. He is obviously a top player and he helps us a great deal when he is on the pitch."

Otamendi has been playing alongside former Porto team-mate Eliaquim Mangala in Kompany's absence and he feels the Frenchman has plenty to offer, too.

"Recently, I have been playing with Mangala and he is a top player too," he added.

"He is young, but he is developing as a professional and also as a personality, I can see that on the pitch.

"He was different when I played with him at Porto. He was a lot more aggressive on the pitch, but I think he has developed since then and is a good fit for the Premier League."

Football Manager 2016: 14 English Wonderkids You Have To Sign

Media Handling: 100%. Loyalty To Players: 100%. Financial Control: 100%. Domestic Player Bias: 1%.

Ever since your life was greatly enhanced by Football Manager’s presence, you’ll have grappled with hotbeds of football. They could be continents, regions, or specific nations that yielded immense crops of players year-in year-out. We were all baffled around the 2008 mark when Belgium suddenly turned into the place to be, with Anthony Vanden Borre, Olivier Deschacht, and a young Vincent Kompany rising up from obscurity to become absolute world-beaters.

In recent years, Argentina has spawned some unbelievable talents for pennies, and pretty much everyone will have their own preference for where to go for their shopping. However, it’s very rare that anyone looks in their own back garden to secure the hottest young world talents without even leaving England.

In the real world, it’s common knowledge that a young English starlet will command a far higher fee than counterparts around the world, and this is mirrored in-game. Why would anyone splash £10 million and inflated wages on a young central midfielder when they can be acquired elsewhere for less than half of that?

But while you may be tempted to scout the Peruvian top flight to unearth hidden gems, load up Football Manager 2016 and feast your eyes on these homegrown talents who will all be getting to know each other soon enough in the virtual England squad of the future.