Ilkay Gundogan had an uncertain future at Manchester City this summer after becoming disillusioned over his role under Pep Guardiola. The 31-year-old is out of contract in 2023 and wanted assurances over playing time before he signed a new deal, so there was a risk he would have to be sold rather than allowed to leave on a free transfer.
Where will Manchester City finish in the Premier League this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th or lower
After six years and 251 appearances at Man City, it would be unthinkable to see Gundogan leave. But he was honest about how ‘frustrated and angry’ he got with Guardiola after being left out of big games last season. The German international didn’t start in the Champions League semi-final or last two Premier League games (against West Ham and Aston Villa), so he wasn’t happy with his manager.
As per the Daily Mail, Gundogan spoke at the premier of Man City’s ‘Together: Champions Again!’ documentary and said: “’I was highly expecting to start (against Villa) and I didn’t. The week before I hadn’t started the West Ham game, so I was quite confident in starting against Villa.
“Then the moment I found out I wasn’t starting I was a bit frustrated, a bit angry, but I still tried to be focused and support the guys that were starting, and maybe even put that anger a little bit into the game.” He scored twice against Villa to win City the title, so he proved his point when called upon.
Gundogan still hasn’t extended his stay beyond next year, but talk of him leaving has died down. The German international wasn’t selected for City’s pre-season tour of the United States due to entry requirements, but he’s been training with the U23s and should be fit to face Liverpool in Saturday’s Community Shield final.
Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling left City after frustrations over the squad rotation policy, so is Gundogan at risk of leaving?
In other news, Phil Foden set to sign new deal at Manchester City until 2027