Ilkay Gundogan may have kick-started his Manchester City career at the best time possible

The midfielder's return adds quality and depth to shallow part of Pep Guardiola's squad

Ilkay Gundogan scored his first goal since returning from his cruciate knee injury (Getty)

563 days ago, Ilkay Gundogan became the first acquisition of Pep Guardiola era, an era that could yet define the next decade of English football. The player Guardiola identified as his number one priority, the midfielder this machine would be built around, is yet to have much of an influence though. Of those 563 days, he has spent 355 sidelined through injury.

Subtract the other days spent regaining match fitness, building his right knee's fragile cruciate ligament back up to withstand the physical demands of Premier League football, and you are left with just six months when Gundogan could potentially have been named on a Manchester City teamsheet.

How many times has he been completely problem-free, able to consistently start and regularly complete 90 minutes? Guardiola would only need two hands to count them. Before this win over Tottenham Hotspur, Gundogan had played just over 1,900 minutes since arriving at City. Fernandinho, alongside him midfield, had played the same in this season alone by the full-time whistle.

Hidden in that last statistic is the reason why it is important that this scoring return for Gundogan is not a false dawn.

The 27-year-old started for only the second time in the league this season, and against one of the so-called ‘top six’ for only the second time in his City career. He was drafted in to replace David Silva, scorer of four in three games from midfield but surprisingly omitted from Guardiola’s starting line-up for personal reasons.

He picked up where Silva left off, stooping low to open the scoring with a 14th-minute header, and celebrated this first goal since recovering from injury as if exorcising those 355 days of darkness. It was the highlight of an excellent display that showed why he was the first name on his manager's list of targets two summers ago. Gundogan's composure on the ball bought time against Tottenham’s fearsome press, then he hassled and harried the visitors himself when possession needed to be regained.

To say City have missed that type of play in midfield would be an overstatement - Silva has been superb doing much the same thing in the same role. Yet if this team has anything to worry about, it is fatigue and shallow squad. The title seemed sewn up even before this 16th consecutive victory, but if we are to witness one of the most spectacular collapses in modern football, it will be because Guardiola is stretching the small group of players to their limit.

Before today, Silva had not missed a single league match. Kevin De Bruyne’s 100 per cent attendance record remains in tact. Fernandinho, at 32 years of age and in the engine room of this team, is another ever-present. Behind them, Guardiola’s options in either central midfield and ‘No 6’ are an untrusted Yaya Touré and an inexperienced Phil Foden.

An alternative in those two positions is needed and a fit, reliable, on-form one is more than welcome. If this is finally the beginning of Gundogan’s City career, it has come at a good time.