In early April, Ilkay Gundogan triggered the term of contract extension 1 year after reaching the threshold of the number of matches needed to extend the competition time at Etihad. This provision is negotiated based on matches that this 34 -year -old midfielder plays at least 45 minutes.
In the second leg of the Champions League qualifier, coach Pep Guardiola put great faith in the players he believed in bringing Manchester City to the destination. It helped Gundogan played 9 out of the last 11 matches in the Premier League (7 wins and 2 draws).
His contribution to the victory over Fulham in the 38th round was undeniable when he scored a goal with a backward bike and a Roulette rotation to take the penalty at the second goal. However, the fact that he continued to appear in the squad became a controversial point.
The criticism considers it a sign that Man City's decline last season. However, Gundogan has never rely on his feet. He is a smart player and at the World Cup Club, his cross -pitching phase is the key point in the club's most effective attack play.
But with Guardiola streamlining the squad, Gundogan has become one of the rumored players who will have to leave. Galatasaray, his childhood club, is one of the teams who want Gundogan. But he still believes that he can play at the highest level for many more years.
Gundogan's situation would be a matter of monitoring because he was appreciated by Guardiola and they talked about him that he would become Guardiola's assistant after retiring. Gundogan has a B -class UEFA training license in Germany – A Grade A license is only for assistant training.
Therefore, having a football brain like Gundogan by the side when Man City is trying to adjust their gameplay may be very important. That is why Gundogan is likely to stay. But is there enough priority if you have a good offer, especially when Man City is having trouble pushing other potential players?
Gundogan's almost flawless injury records for the past 6 years is part of the reason why he has not wanted to grow old right now. The lifestyle changes he made to extend his career. At the end of 2024, he started working with a nutritionist.
Now, he has a private chef to plan for all his meals – even in the short break between the end of the season and the Club World Cup – and have completely cut the sugar from his diet.
The appearance of Tijjani Reijnders means that the position No. 8 on the left wing is likely to be undertaken by the Dutch player. But if Rodri is still nursing, Reijnders may be transferred to play in the midfielder position and opened a higher attack role for Gundogan.
Guardiola always likes to rotate the squad, but he needs to seek to prevent counterattacks becoming critical weaknesses. Can they do that with Silva and Gundogan in the middle of the yard? This is a awkward situation for Guardiola, but compared to Gundogan's performance compared to Mateo Kovacic and consider who is more likely to be replaced.
With Rodri and Nico Gonzalez are two midfielders, it seems that Kovacic will have difficulty finding time to play. Man City needs to find a way to bring other players other than Erling Haaland to achieve a goal column over 10 goals next season, and Gundogan has proven that he can do that in the previous 3 seasons.
Last season, the number of goals decreased, but with a streamlined arrangement, based on breakthrough into the penalty area and taking advantage of the space to coordinate in narrow areas, he still owns a unique skill set in the squad. His return from Barca in the summer of 2024 was a decision of Guardiola.
In the months of the crisis of last season, Gundogan was a cautious voice in the policy to open up opportunities for Guardiola's solutions. Gundogan played an important role in the last weeks of the season when Man City rediscovered his form.
Man City will lose great experience if Gundogan follows Kevin De Bruyne, but with more than 30 players in the squad, any player can be touched.
