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Football

30th Apr 2018

Supporters are disputing one pick in Gary Neville’s Team of the Season

A generous selection?

Darragh Murphy

Gary Neville was so close to universal agreement.

With the final few games approaching, Neville was asked to name his Team of the Season ahead of Spurs’ Premier League clash with Watford.

Neville’s side is dominated by players from Manchester City, with five players from the recently-crowned champions earning the appreciation of the former Manchester United right-back.

Only one player from United, David De Gea, has been given the nod from Neville while Liverpool fill out three slots in the team.

Harry Kane and Jan Verthongen represent Spurs and, for the most part, supporters are in agreement with the Sky Sports pundit’s opinion.

However the inclusion of Vincent Kompany over Nicolas Otamendi has not gone down well among Monday Night Football viewers.

All-too-familiar injury problems plagued Kompany’s ability to contribute to the City cause in the middle portion of the campaign.

The club captain only made 16 Premier League appearances all season, half of the 32 that Otamendi enjoyed.

“My thinking was that, although Otamendi has had a great season, there’s something that holds me back from fully championing him and liking him as one of the players of the season,” Neville said.

“I have to say that all of the stats point towards Otamendi, when you look at stats in terms of clean sheets and games played.

“But I’m going to go for Kompany, a teammate of Otamendi’s, because while I think City would have always won the league even if Kompany hadn’t played in the last two or three months, what I will say is that he was a strength in these last two or three months when the players in the squad who hadn’t won the league before needed it.

“And I think it was essential that he came in. He made them look better, he made them look stronger, he led.

“He gave captain’s performances. You think about the Carabao Cup final, even though it’s not related to the Premier League, I thought he was big in that match.

“For me, the last two or three months have stuck in my mind. I think if you’d asked me at Christmas, I’d have said Otamendi. But now, it’s just an instinct and something that I’m feeling inside and that’s what I’d do in the dressing room if I was voting for the Team of the Year. I’d go with Kompany because I think, on and off the pitch, someone who’s vital.”

It’s safe to say that fans didn’t agree.