Kolo Toure believes working under Pep Guardiola was the perfect crash course in management for Vincent Kompany.
Former Manchester City captain Kompany has enjoyed a fine season in charge of Burnley, leading the Clarets straight back to the Premier League and the Championship title.
Kompany, 37, left City in 2019 to become player-manager of Anderlecht.
He joined Burnley last year, and his success at Turf Moor has seen him become one of the most highly coveted young managers, with Tottenham reportedly interested in taking him to north London.
Kompany's ex-City team-mate Toure, who endured a difficult, short spell as Wigan Athletic boss earlier in the 2022-23 campaign, always felt the Belgian would go onto big things in management.
"You could feel that [he would be a manager]," Toure told Stats Perform.
"Vincent has everything. He has the manager skill. I could see it already as a player. Even when he wasn't captain you could see he had a great relationship with players.
"A great relationship with the fans, a great relationship with the media, and a great relationship with the owners.
"He's always been somebody who is very intelligent, somebody who can connect with people very easily and speaks both languages really, really well. And he prepared himself very well."
Kompany played under Guardiola for three years of his 11-season stint at City, and Toure believes the Spaniard was the perfect teacher to learn from.
"I think for me what is the best thing that happened to him is to be able to play and be managed by Pep Guardiola because he learned from Pep, and Pep is an unbelievable manager," Toure said.
"What he's been learning under him is incredibly great in that's what he's showing really there. Of course, he has a little bit of detail that is putting on the way he wants this team to play. But when you look at his team, he is taking that from Pep Guardiola, definitely."
Toure's first foray into management was not quite as successful as Toure's endeavours; he lasted just 59 days in charge of Wigan.
He failed to win any of his nine games and left Wigan with the club sat bottom of the Championship. They were relegated on Saturday.
Toure, though, is keen to carry on in coaching.
"I would say that it was a great learning moment for me because, during my career as a player, I never experienced fighting for relegation. When the opportunity came, I took it because, for me, it was a great opportunity to start my managerial career," he explained.
"I wanted to challenge myself because you cannot wait for the perfect moment to get the perfect job. I wanted to do that job. I found players who are top guys, and I was my mission was to change the style of play and keep the team up.
"Unfortunately, it didn't work really because defensively we conceded so many goals, and attacking-wise we were dangerous, and we created chances but we never scored them.
"I learned, and you have to be honest, you try things with the level of players with the pressure that the players had, it wasn't easy for them. Next time I have another opportunity, I make sure to assess the situation even better, and just try to help the team win games by taking some of the pressure out of the players."
"I'm definitely looking for a job now," Toure added. "I'm more hungry than ever. I'm looking forward. I'm looking to get a new job. My passion for the game is there to push players to really win games and be the best that they can be."
Ten Hag deserves more time after FA Cup win, says Man Utd great Yorke
Erik ten Hag should be given another season by the new regime at Manchester United after masterminding their FA Cup triumph, says former Red Devils striker Dwight Yorke.
Ten Hag's future was subject to speculation throughout a largely dismal season for United, who recorded their lowest ever Premier League finish of eighth.
They also exited the Champions League in the group stage, losing 19 matches and conceding 85 goals across all competitions.
However, they finished an underwhelming campaign on a high note on Saturday, with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scoring in a shock 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Yorke says Ten Hag deserves credit for the way he set United up at Wembley Stadium, as the Red Devils edged City for expected goals (1.59 xG to 1.35), shots on target (five to four) and big chances (two to one) despite only having 26.4 per cent of the possession.
"I think everybody thought this United team was never going to get the result. And for us, who have been in football for such a long time, the unthinkable can happen occasionally," Yorke told Stats Perform.
"I have to say, Ten Hag deserves a lot of credit. There's a lot of noise coming out from the United end about whether he was going to be the manager.
"After the end of this game, whether he won or lost, he had the players focused. I think this could arguably be United's best performance this season. I really do.
"There were a lot of negatives coming out of the camp, but I truly think they were far superior tactically. The way we set up and made life very difficult for them [City].
"They were in City's face, not allowing them too much space to dominate the game. I thought they were superb. The manager deserves a lot of credit and the players deserve a lot of credit for showing up on a day when no one gave them a chance to win the game."
The likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Kieran McKenna have all been linked with United as the Jim Ratcliffe regime weighs up whether to stick with Ten Hag for 2024-25.
But Yorke feels the Dutchman has now done enough to remain at the helm, adding: "I've been a critic of Ten Hag, I have to say that. I've gone on record and said he needed to win this game to have any chance of continuing to be manager.
"To win two competitions in two years, then that's quite the turnaround. I think he deserves another year, I really do.
"Whether he's the man taking us forward in terms of his style, that's another question, but he certainly deserves another year in my opinion."
Courtois omitted from Belgium squad for Euro 2024 as Witsel returns
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been omitted from Belgium's 25-man squad for Euro 2024.
Courtois suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the start of the season in August, only returning to action against Cadiz earlier this month.
He is seen as the favourite to start between the sticks when Los Blancos face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on Saturday, despite Andriy Lunin impressing as Carlo Ancelotti's side overcame Manchester City and Bayern Munch in the last two rounds.
Courtois became embroiled in a public spat with Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco last June, walking out on the squad when he was not named captain in the wake of Eden Hazard's retirement.
That incident meant he was always unlikely to feature at this year's tournament in Germany, and his absence has now been confirmed with Koen Casteels, Thomas Kaminski and Matz Sels the three shot-stoppers named in Tedesco's 25-man party.
There is, however, a recall for Axel Witsel, who announced his international retirement last May but has now reversed that decision.
Belgium begin their Group E campaign against Slovakia in Frankfurt on June 17, before taking on Romania five days later and Ukraine on June 26.
Full 25-man squad: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Arthur Theate (Stade Rennais), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).
Euro 2024 absence caps cruel period for Netherlands midfielder De Roon
Netherlands will be without Marten de Roon at Euro 2024 after an injury blow capped a cruel period for the Atalanta midfielder.
De Roon suffered a muscle injury two weeks ago in Atalanta's 2-0 Coppa Italia final loss to Juventus, subsequently missing Gian Piero Gasperini's side lifting the Europa League with victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
The Netherlands international was in the stands in Dublin for the 3-0 win over Xabi Alonso's Bundesliga champions that secured Atalanta's first European trophy in history.
Having already been named in Ronald Koeman's 30-man provisional squad for the Euros in Germany, starting in June, De Roon suffered another gut-wrenching punch after his absence was confirmed.
"I can't imagine I've had a week in my career, or in my life, that has had so many ups and downs," the Atalanta man wrote on social media on Monday.
"Lost the Coppa Italia, couldn't play the final, win the Europa League.
"In that last euphoric state, I spent a lot of time with the medical staff: it turns out I can't play the Euros.
"I will get over it, I will watch the squad and my friends as a fan, but for now it's a very tough day."
De Roon has won 42 caps for his country and featured at the last European Championships and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
His absence means Koeman has to cut just six players down from his provisional squad for the final 23-man selection, which will be announced on Wednesday.
Netherlands open their Euro 2024 campaign against Poland on June 16 before facing France and Austria in the group stages.
Koeman's squad assembled on Monday for their pre-tournament training camp, ahead of warm-up matches with Canada and Iceland.
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