'Kompany was already a coach when he played'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he always knew Vincent Kompany would go down the coaching route and praised his transformation of Burnley.

Arteta worked with the Clarets boss at Manchester City when he was assistant manager and Kompany was still playing.

"Not surprised at all," Arteta said about Kompany. "He was already a coach when he played. He was a leader, someone really intelligent who could navigate different scenarios really well.

"He understood the game really well and spoke several languages. You could tell straight away that he was going to be a top coach.

"What they did last year was incredible, especially the way they did it. In this Premier League we all have difficulties, we all have good moments.

"Looking back at the games they played, they deserved much more than what they got. This is the difficulty of this league, sometimes you deserve more.

"The way they have transformed their way of playing and how they continue to play is remarkable."