Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will step aside from his player-manager duties at Anderlecht - on match days only - from now on following the club's worst start to a new season for 21 years.
The 33-year-old left Etihad Stadium to return to his boyhood club after 13 seasons away from Belgium, taking charge as Pro League record champions Anderlecht's player-manager.
But after with the club still waiting for their first league win of the season after four matches, HLN have confirmed that Kompany will step down as their manager on match days in an attempt to focus on captaining the side.
Taking over managerial duties on match days for Anderlecht will be Simon Davies, the former academy coach at Manchester City before moving to Belgium with Kompany.
"Kompany must be more a player during the match," Davies said about the decision, quoted by Sky Sports. "He must be able to really lead the team on the field. Of course no one doubts that he can, but it is important that he is merely one of the players during the match.
"So, together with my staff, I will take on the tactics next to the field. Because you can plan some things in advance, surprising things always happen during a match. I take that on me."
Anderlecht are currently sitting 13th in league after their opening four games, picking up just two points after draws against Mouscron and Mechelen.
Their most recent match against Kortrijk saw Kompany's side concede four goals in the first-half, while strikes from Samir Nasri and Michel Vlap only made the scoreline slightly more presentable for the club.
But even following a summer of heavy investment Brussels, Anderlecht are being tipped for a fifth game without a win as they travel to face Genk - who have star striker Mbwana Samatta coming off the back of a hat-trick performance last week - on Friday.
Source :
90min