Ilkay Gundogan has sealed a sensational return to Man City and here's the inside track of how it unfolded.
Manchester City played Barcelona in Orlando during their pre-season tour of the USA last month and Pep Guardiola was spotted exchanging words with Ilkay Gundogan on the pitch.
"Most of the time, all the managers say finish the transfer window anything can happen so this is the real proof," Guardiola added. "It was a surprise, unexpected. We know him quite well, staff and players and everyone and we know the quality he played last year at Barcelona. Gundogan praised Guardiola upon his return, describing him as a 'tactical genius'. "I appreciate it but the important thing is he wanted to come back," said Guardiola. "I got the message from Txiki that Ilkay wanted to talk to me and call me, so he called me and asked the situation. I said yes and now we are here and he has to deliver a good season.
Gundogan's time in Barcelona didn't go as planned, but Guardiola believes the experience he gained at a club that he represented as a player and a manager will bode well. Gundogan has received clearance to be involved with the City squad on Saturday and supporters will be excited to see him back in a sky blue shirt. He was hugely popular during his first spell, which lasted seven years, and a phone call with Guardiola last week is understood to have sparked his return.
"When you leave this place, you spend a year away and you then start to appreciate the place even more. You realise what you had, how amazing the time was and how big the club is.
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