Ilkay Gundogan has been outstanding for Manchester City this season, but Pep Guardiola doesn’t have a carbon-copy replacement for the 30-year-old.
Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva can operate as deep-lying creative midfielders, but they don’t turn over possession as much as Gundogan, so Sam Lee of The Athletic believes they ‘need an alternative’ this summer.
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He said on the discussion board: “(Man City) also need an alternative to Gundogan, I believe. They never look as smooth without Gundogan and (Pep) Guardiola can’t have failed to notice that.”
The German international joined City from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 and has gone on to make 197 appearances in all competitions, scoring 37 goals and supplying 25 assists (Transfermarkt).
Gundogan has made 33 appearances across the board this season, scoring 15 goals with three assists, so he’s been outstanding under Guardiola and an influential player.
The 30-year-old has created 34 chances, had 22 successful dribbles, made 19 tackles, taken 44 shots and made 19 interceptions in 23 league games (WhoScored), so he’s excelled as a box-to-box player and would be hard to replace.
Bitter rivals Manchester United signed Bruno Fernandes midway through last season and he’s replicated that of Gundogan, showcasing an eye for goal, high levels of creativity and a willingness to do his defensive duties, so City could do with their own version of the 5ft 9in midfielder.
Whether they can find one is another story.