Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was seen in an emotional state, as he came off the pitch in Germany’s friendly against France due to an injury.
Gundogan limped off the Signal Iduna Park, with barely 25 minutes of action played, following an unfortunate injury sustained in the encounter.
Ilkay Gundogan injury
It is unclear the nature of the Injury Ilkay Gundogan picked up in the game, but he was seen clutching his lower back as he was substituted.
He was replaced by Brighton’s Pascal Gross, who put in a decent shift, after the departure of Gundogan.
Barcelona will be hoping that it was only a minor injury, as this could be a potential blow to their season.
The Catalan giants are aiming to compete optimally across all fronts, and the likely absence of Gundogan could have a damning effect on their season.
The 32-year-old has started all 4 of Barcelona’s Spanish La Liga fixtures this season, and he has had an impressive start to life in Catalonia.
Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona from Manchester City on July 1, 2023, on a free transfer, after a glorious outing with the Citizens last season.
Gundogan captained Pep Guardiola’s side to the treble – Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League, playing an important role all through the season.
Barcelona return to action on Saturday, September 16, and they will be facing off against Real Betis.
3 days later, they welcome Belgian side Royal Antwerp to Camp Nou, before squaring up against bogey teams like Celta Vigo, and Sevilla.
They also face Mallorca on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, a fixture sandwiched between their aforementioned matches against Celta Vigo and Sevilla.
Ilkay Gundogan had made 4 appearances for Barcelona, scoring no goal and raking in 2 assists since his arrival.
Gundogan with Germany
Meanwhile, Gundogan, the captain of Germany also played the entirety of his country’s 4-1 loss to Japan on Saturday, September 9, 2023.
Die Mannschaft were in a horrible run that saw them go 4 games out of 5 matches without a win, since their 2-0 win to Peru on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
They subsequently suffered defeats to Belgium, before drawing against Ukraine by 3-3 in a friendly encounter.
Following the draw with the Ukrainians, they suffered a raft of losses against Poland, Colombia, and Japan.
The 4-1 demolition received at the hands of the Japanese, was the last roll of the dice for Germany and Hansi Flick, as the ex-Bayern Munich manager was ousted 24 hours after the defeat.
Rudi Völler was in the dugout against France, and he has started his interim stint as manager with a 2-1 confidence-boosting victory over France.
Moreover, Ilkay Gundogan has made 69 appearances for Germany, scoring 17 goals and providing 7 assists across all competitions.
Gundogan made his debut for the Die Mannschaft on October 11, 2011, and he has consistently contributed his quota to the national team.
Unfortunately, he was absent from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which Germany went out to win.
