The 21-year-old impressed on his Clarets debut at the weekend, coming off the bench at half-time during the 2-2 draw with Fulham.
Kompany’s men were trailing by two goals at the time, but the French centre-back helped the home side get back on track and seal a late point thanks to David Fofana’s heroics.
It left Kompany understandably delighted with the impact of Burnley’s deadline day recruit.
“Very quick, strong left foot, aggressive, front-foot, and eager to win every fight.” It’s a fantastic place to start,” he remarked.
The fact that we were able to hire him is really fortunate. These players have the option to move on to other venues.
“But now that he plays for Burnley, he sends a message that he’s willing to risk everything, and that’s exactly what we need.”
Hughie Higginson also questioned Kompany regarding Esteve at Saturday’s post-game news conference.
In honour of the conclusion of his cancer treatment, the outstanding fundraiser joined family and close friends Freddie Xavi as a special guest at the club on Saturday.
Hughie playfully questioned whether Esteve could surpass the success of the multiple champion currently manning the Turf Moor dugout, leaving Kompany momentarily perplexed.
“Best question of the evening!” was the Clarets manager’s response.
Could he match my level of skill? Oh my. There, you’ve had me completely roped in.
“I was doing well, but you know what I did have? I was driven to work hard, perform well, and ensure that everyone around me was driven to work hard.
“You understand what a mental machine I was.
“That side of it is the one thing I notice about him before we pass judgement on the football player. You don’t come on with 45 minutes remaining to play centre back and make an impact unless you have that in you.
“It will be difficult, but as the manager of Burnley, I can only hope he will finish it this way.”
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