Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany dropped for 'dressing room flare-up' with teammate Fernandinho during Liverpool defeat

The Manchester City captain was left on the bench for the win over Leicester

Vincent Kompany was dropped for the win over Leicester (Getty Images)

Vincent Kompany’s position as captain of Manchester City appears to have been called into question after it was reported that manager Manuel Pellegrini dropped him from his starting line-up due to an alleged changing room argument with Fernandinho.

The Daily Mirror reports that Kompany became involved in a confrontation with his Brazilian team-mate during the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield during half-time, when the two teams returned to their dressing rooms.

The Belgium captain was at fault for the opener as Jordan Henderson took full advantage of his mis-control, firing in a beautiful long-range effort that was matched by his teammate Philippe Coutinho to give the Reds a lead they would not relinquish.

A club insider has since claimed that the rest of the City changing room feared the pair would come to blows, with 28-year-old Kompany refusing to calm down despite the interruption of Pellegrini.

Fernandinho is alleged to have told Kompany to pay more attention after his lapse let in Henderson, to which Kompany reacted by telling Fernandinho not to tell him what to do. As the argument became more heated, some of their teammates stepped in in fear that the tensions could boil over, but when Pellegrini became involved he is said to have sided with the Brazilian and not his captain.

This reportedly incensed Kompany further, as he turned on anyone who attempted to challenge him, but Pellegrini tried to tell the Belgian that Fernandinho was trying to help him rather than hinder him.

According to the Press Association, sources at the club have played down the reports.

Kompany was kept on the bench for the following match, the 2-0 victory over Leicester, while Fernandinho was dropped from the matchday squad altogether. It remains to be seen if either will return to the squad for this weekend’s clash with Burnley before next week’s crucial Champions League trip to Barcelona.

Fernandinho was dropped from the City squad altogether (Getty Images)

Should Kompany find his future at the Etihad Stadium uncertain, the likelihood of him leaving the club is rather unlikely. Kompany signed a new five-year contract worth a hefty £130,000-a-week just last summer, and his importance to City’s emergence as a powerhouse of English football has been largely down to his impressive performances both as centre-back and captain.

However, Kompany’s performances of late have been far from his best, and the question now is whether Pellegrini – himself under huge pressure to save his job before the end of the season in the form of silverware – will see Kompany as a first-team regular in the future or whether he is now ready to turn to Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis for the long-term.