Former Belgium and Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany has been announced as the new manager of Burnley. He will be tasked with leading the club back to the Premier League, where he spent the majority of his football career.
In an announcement via social media, Burnley have revealed that the former Man City captain has now taken over the reins of the side that got relegated from the Premier League this season.
Head coach of his boyhood club Anderlecht for over three seasons, the 36-year-old and the Purple and White decided to bring their association to an end by mutual consent in May.
“Burnley Football Club is a truly historic English side and it is an honour to be appointed first-team manager. I’m excited by the challenge ahead.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players and creating a positive, winning team for our fans when we return to Turf Moor,”
he told the club website.
The former Belgian international will be taking over from Mike Jackson, who had acted as the caretaker manager following Sean Dyche’s sacking in April. However, he had failed to save the club from relegation as Burnley went down on the final day, and Kompany now has a tough job on his hands.
Burnley chairman Alan Pace has expressed his delight with the appointment of Kompany as the new manager of the club.
“Vincent is a proven leader and I’ve been very impressed with his ideas for Burnley Football Club, his appetite to succeed, and his focus on leading the club back to the Premier League.”
36-year-old Kompany won four Premier League titles with the Citizens during his successful 11-year stint in England. He left the Etihad Stadium in 2019 to join Anderlecht, where he became a player-manager. He eventually retired in August 2020 to take over full-time managerial duties of the club. They finished third in the 2021-22 regular season and also finished third in the playoffs.