Kompany fears 'Russian roulette'

The Anderlecht prodigy Vincent Kompany believes that a move to a leading European club like Manchester United would be like "playing Russian roulette".

Kompany, 17, caught the eye of the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in the Champions' League match against Celtic in Glasgow but says the speculation is not welcome at this stage of his career.

The son of a Congolese father and a Belgian mother, Kompany told the French newspaper L'Equipe: "All this speculation is not beneficial. It is an extra pressure people are imposing on me. I am only 17 but I am capable of knowing what is good for me. Today I do not have the maturity to play two big matches a week. With Anderlecht I play one every fortnight. That's enough.

"If I left it would be putting a part of my learning process to one side. It would be like playing Russian roulette."

Kompany admits he is flattered by reports that call him the "Belgian Desailly" after the French international defender Marcel Desailly.

"It's flattering, that's for sure," Kompany said. "But to accept the compliment at my age would be arrogant."

Kompany, studying for his baccalaureate at a Flemish-speaking school in Brussels even though he is a French-speaker, said his parents wanted him to concentrate on his studies. Referring to his parents he said: "They would be just as proud of me if I succeeded in my studies."