Vincent Kompany insists he has no regrets over his decision to dump Andros Townsend and leave the former England midfielder in tears.
Townsend says he broke down when Kompany went back on his offer of a one-year deal in August because he did not want him blocking the development of his new, younger players.
The former Tottenham winger, who was released by Everton in July after being out since March 2022 with a serious knee injury, returns to Turf Moor tonight with Luton and Kompany insists his call benefited everyone.
Townsend, 32, has flourished at Luton, earning a new longer-term deal at the start of this month, while Kompany is happy with progress of Luca Koleosho, Wilson Odobert and Jacob Bruun Larsen.
“There are absolutely none,” said the Burnley boss, when asked if he had any regrets. “You have to have regrets if you’re doing things for the wrong reason. It’s difficult and you don’t know how the player himself is ever going to process it.
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“In the end, all we do is try and be as truthful as we can be. So we didn’t play games with it, the contract was there because we had a short-term need. And the moment that Koleosho and these other guys came in and performed the way they did, we let him know this was probably not the right move.
“But things always work out for people with his mentality and he’s ended up at a club where hopefully he can add many years to his career. I think that was ultimately the goal for him and that’s a good thing for him.”
Andros Townsend has impressed at Luton since his move (Getty Images)Kompany claims it would have been wrong to have Townsend on the sidelines at Burnley when he was so desperate to play in the Premier League.
Townsend has managed a goal and two assists in his 11 top-flight appearances for Luton and Kompany says he made the right decision in joining them.
“You know there’s no point in bringing in a senior player who was working the way he was, just to stall him,” he said. “I think him having the option to play for Luton is the right option for his career and I explained that to him.”
Luton have a four-point advantage over Burnley - and a game in hand - in this relegation six-pointer and Kompany says he revels in these pressure games.
He wants his players to enjoy them too and said: “I’d hope we like pressure and I’d hope we want to be in a pressure environment otherwise what type of career is it if you don’t play with pressure?
“Last year we played for promotion against each other, there was pressure then of going into the most-expensive, but also the most-rewarding, league in the world. I wouldn’t imagine this job without these types of games.”
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