Ilkay Gundogan’s adaptability makes him Pep Guardiola’s ideal wildcard

The Man City boss ignored his own reluctance to re-sign a former player due to the German’s all-encompassing prowess in the middle of the pitch

Ilkay Gundogan rejoined Manchester City after a spell with Barcelona but will need to prove he is still a midfield force to be reckoned with. (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)

Pep Guardiola has warned Ilkay Gundogan he faces a fight for his place on his return to Manchester City and is not guaranteed to start regardless of how he plays.

City’s Treble-winning captain clinched his shock return from Barcelona on an initial one-year contract and could make his second debut for the club against Ipswich on Saturday.

But while Gundogan was a crucial player for Guardiola before his 2023 departure, he has since signed midfielders Mateo Kovacic, who scored and starred in last week’s win at Chelsea, and Matheus Nunes. In addition, Phil Foden was voted PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year for his performances last season with Rodri also among the contenders, while Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are also alternatives in the centre of the pitch.

And Guardiola is waiting to see how Gundogan responds. “Let me know how he behaves, how he trains and plays,” he said. “Not because he is Gundogan is he is going to play tomorrow, and the next games. If he doesn’t perform well we play another one, we have Phil, Kevin, Bernardo, Rodri there, Kova there, we have Matheus and Macca [James McAtee], so he has to perform, not just because… we know his potential, seven years here everyone knows how good he is but he has to deliver every single day that is why the club sustains that level on top.”

Guardiola sees Gundogan as an option to play as a defensive midfielder if Rodri is missing. City’s only defeats last season came without the Spaniard and he feels Gundogan can be a holding player, a goalscoring midfielder or even a player who could stand in for Erling Haaland in attack.

“He can play in the same position as Rodri, like Kova, like Nico [O’Reilly], like Matheus, and John [Stones] and Manu [Akanji] can play alongside another one in the positions. Gundogan play as attacking midfielders, he can play as the false nine. So he’s a player who can play in different roles. He’s not defined as a football player. No, no, he’s a football player and he understands what you have to do to play in different positions.”

Gundogan’s versatility in midfield is one of the reasons Manchester City brought him back to the Etihad. (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Guardiola said he put aside his usual reluctance to bring back older players he has worked with before because of his admiration for Gundogan and because he arrived on a free transfer. He believes that the former captain will provide leadership, which could be invaluable in difficult times.

“As a manager I am not a big, big fan of re-signing players with this age,” he added. “But I know him quite well and his mentality is in the right position. He is a huge competitor and with the financial situation he came back [for] free.

“Everyone respects Gundo. He is such an intelligent man, and he is honest in his analysis and puts the team and club in front of his performance. He reads perfectly what is going on. To have these kind of players on the pitch when things are not going well… he feels the pressure well, he takes responsibility.”