Vincent Kompany will be a success at Anderlecht if he is given time, according to his former Manchester City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne.
Kompany became the Belgian club's player-manager during the close season, but saw his role change last week after they had taken just two points from their first four games.
It was confirmed Kompany will now act as captain on matchdays with first-team coach Simon Davies in charge of tactics, although it did not inspire a reversal in fortunes on Friday, as Anderlecht slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Genk – a game in which Kompany limped off injured.
Despite the difficult start, his Belgium team-mate and City midfielder De Bruyne believes he will turn things around.
"He's been a manager for like two months, so what do you expect? To go there and win every game? It's not like this in football," he told reporters.
"I think there's a lot of people who want him to fail, because to do this job, to be player and a manager, some people don't like it. I know Vinny pretty well and he probably won't care what people say about it.
"I spoke with him a few times, he's enjoying it. The games that I saw I think they're playing really well, they're missing a striker for the moment, but I think he had a very tough job.
"Obviously he didn't start well in terms of points, but I can understand it a little bit because he is trying to play a style that we did [at City] and obviously we had growing pains, so I can understand that.
"Football is a business where you get points, but I think he will get time. In Belgium only one is relegated, so I don't think he needs to worry about that! If he gets the time, that will be nice."
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