Milner hails Kompany as one of the best defenders to ever play in Premier League

James Milner has hailed former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany as one of the best defenders to ever play in the Premier League.

Kompany joined City from Hamburg as a defensive midfielder in 2008 and was named club captain three years later.

During his 11 years at the club, Kompany made 360 appearances, scoring 20 times, and also won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and two Community Shields.

And Milner, who was a teammate of the Belgian's at the Etihad, believes not only was he an “unbelievable player”, but he was also an “unbelievable leader”.

“You always look at the spine of a successful team and that starts right through the middle,” he told The Football Show on Sky Sports on Friday morning.

“Vinny, obviously, an unbelievable player. How he went about his business. Struggled with injuries, but the amount of injuries you saw him play through that nobody would have ever known about was incredible as well.

“He put his head on the line. Unbelievable leader, great captain, so many qualities on that side, and rightly so, one of the greatest defenders to play in the Premier League.”