Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has warned captain Vincent Kompany that he needs to put his club commitments before country.
The Italian boss criticised the Belgium national team for playing the centre-back for the full 90 minutes in their 1-0 victory over Macedonia on Tuesday.
Kompany marked his return to action with Belgium following two months on the sidelines with a calf injury.
"I think sometimes the player should understand that the club is more important," Sky Sports News quotes Mancini as saying.
"I don't say the national team is not important, I never say to my players don't go to the national team. But there are some cases that the club is more important. All the players should understand this."
City, who are 15 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, will have eight games left to play in their campaign following tomorrow's clash against Newcastle United.
Danielle Joynson
