Vincent Kompany has taken an apparent swipe at José Mourinho among others by saying Eden Hazard finally has an attack-minded manager at Chelsea who can get the best out of him.

Hazard has played under Roberto Di Matteo, Rafael Benítez, Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte as well as Mourinho at Chelsea since he joined in 2012. Kompany believes the arrival of Maurizio Sarri has been beneficial for his Belgium teammate.

“I think he was due an offensive manager,” the Manchester City defender said in the buildup to Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge. “I can’t remember him having that a lot in his career. Eventually a manager like this is what he needed, no matter where he was, to get the best out of him. The future is bright for him.”

Kompany feels Chelsea are also on a positive path, describing them as “the real deal”. Sarri’s side went 12 games unbeaten in the Premier League before being beaten by Tottenham and Wolves.

“Chelsea are one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League” Kompany said. “Look at the way they try to build up, the way they try to play through the middle. The talent they have up front to create chances, you can only say they are the real deal. And that is what makes this game exciting I think. It will be a good game.”