Troy Deeney played against a wide range of players during his playing career.
With 165 Premier League games under his belt, the striker bagged 47 goals and delivered 21 assists.
Against Manchester City, Deeney featured in eight league games in total and ended up being on the losing side every time.
Now though, the 36-year-old has shared his thoughts on who the toughest defenders he ever came up against were, with one particular former City star getting a special mention.
- READ MORE: Who is Vincent Kompany? All you need to know about the legendary Man City captain turned manager
Troy Deeney says Vincent Kompany was one of the best he ever played against
Speaking on talkSPORT (29/8 6:45 PM), Deeney was asked to name the toughest defender he ever played against, saying this in response.
He said: “I think the two that I played against and was like oh my god, they’re proper, is [Virgil] Van Dijk and Vinny Kompany.
Deeney then said this when asked who he thinks is better between Kompany and Van Dijk.
He said: “It depends what you like. The better organiser and natural defender – Vinny Kompany, all day. Best leader I’ve ever seen.
“But probably better on the ball, more technically gifted – Van Dijk. I don’t remember a time seeing him sprint, that’s how good he is.”
Kompany is one of the best defenders in Premier League history
In his 11 years at the Manchester club, the Belgian made 360 appearances across all competitions, scoring 20 goals, delivering 10 assists and winning numerous trophies along the way including four Premier League titles.
Back in 2022, Kompany was one of the second round of eight former players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
With the former City captain now in charge of Bayern Munich, Michail Antonio previously backed Kompany to replace Pep Guardiola as City’s manager.
Now that Deeney has highlighted how much he admires Kompany and how difficult he found it to play against him, this further strengthens his status as one of the best defenders in Premier League history.
