Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen believes that Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is sure to go down as one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen.

The 26-year-old has been instrumental in City's title challenge this season, which resulted in the end of 44 years of hurt after Roberto Mancini's side clinched the trophy in the closing minutes of an epic league finale.

"Make no mistake, at £6 million, Vincent Kompany is arguably the best transfer market buy of all time," Hansen wrote in the Telegraph. "By leading Manchester City to the title this season, he has shown why he is on course to become the best defender of the Premier League era.

"The Manchester City captain has unquestionably been overlooked in missing out on the Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year awards this season because he has been unbelievably consistent.

"Robin van Persie, who won both awards, has also had a great campaign, but goalscorers always make the headlines and I think that the qualities of defenders like Kompany – their positioning, leadership and crucial interventions – often go unnoticed. But Kompany has been a nine-out-of-10 performer all season and his mistakes have been minimal."

Manchester United narrowly missed out on title glory on goal difference after securing a 1-0 win over Sunderland.