Manchester City midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan has been lauded for his beautiful displays in recent times; hence former City defender Micah Richards calls him the club’s talisman.
The Gelsenkirchen-born playmaker has bagged seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances for City in the 2020/21 campaign, netting two in five appearances in the UEFA Champion League which will later return to town this month.
The 30-year-old midfielder has been bedeviled with all sorts of injuries at Ethiad even from his former clubs in Germany with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, leading him to the pecking order at the club.
He tested positive for coronavirus in September 2020, after his teammates, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte were also victims of the deadly virus.
But this season has constantly been tagged as a good season for the German as regards having some playing times under the club’s manager Josep Guardiola. For the past 10 games, especially against Burnley– providing a sublime cross for his teammate Raheem Sterling to double the lead against the Clarets, he has been consistent.
He helped his club to go a 13 game unbeaten spree in all competitions and to stay three points clear of their arch-rival, Manchester United.
Richards believes in Gundogan has turned to a prominent first-team player for the league leaders, and he hopes he continues to improve on his form. He has comfortably filled the boots of Kevin De Bruyne who has sustained an injury against Aston Villa.
“He’s become a talisman in this team, seven goals, he’s got assists, 22 chances created – this is from the last 10 games. If you look at the 20 games before that, it’s nowhere near.” He said
Richards believed that Guardiola has given the player a better chance to prove his worth and challenge him to improve more, and he has not disappointed the Spaniard
“The difference is monumental and I think Pep’s given him a kick up the backside and told him he can do more and he has.” Richards reiterated
With this performance, Ilkay Gundogan might be up for football actions for a crucial match against Liverpool who is placed fourth on the Premier League log.The German’s contract expires in July 2023
As Cityzens are hoping to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions, Liverpool will be looking for a possible way to bounce back from their ruins on Sunday. The Reds won their last match Potter Graham’s Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
