Ilkay Gundogan’s return to Manchester City has been a mixed bag.
While the German has underwhelmed for much of the season, his performances have improved during the second half of the season — as demonstrated by how much the 34-year-old impressed in City’s latest 2-0 win against Fulham.
However, the dilemma amongst Manchester City fans would be whether it is best to keep Ilkay Gundogan next season or let him go.
Manchester City seemed ready to sell Gundogan at one point.
However, Gundogan hoped to stay at Manchester City beyond the summer.
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Ilkay Gundogan says he will stay at Man City next season
With Gundogan being a serial winner that he is, the midfield maestro will be hoping to help Pep Guardiola turn this City side into Premier League champions again, for one.
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The veteran must be more disappointed than most about how far the Sky Blues have fallen, considering he captained them to a treble before leaving Manchester for Barcelona in 2023.
But Gundogan’s story at Manchester City could continue as he has told Manchester Evening News that as a one-year contract extension in his deal has been triggered, he looks set to stay: “Nobody has said anything to me so far!”
“My contract got extended another year so obviously that’s what I expect right now.”
Gundogan has fired a Premier League title warning to Liverpool
However, players like Matheus Nunes could leave Manchester City amongst many.
Next season, City will perhaps not accept simply participating in competitions and failing to win a trophy for the first time since 2017.
Gundogan is a Manchester City legend and during his interview, he reminded the world of the lofty standards they have set by guaranteeing that his side will be in contention to win the Premier League.
The six-time Premier League winner said: “At the end of the season the feeling is positive in the way we’ve performed in the last two months since the last international break,” he said.
“If we were able to perform in that way throughout the whole season it would be a completely different outcome for us in the end. That’s the target for next year, to learn from all the mistakes in the campaign, to take that last couple of months as the standard and expectation going into the Club World Cup and the next Premier League season.”
‘I’m very confident that if we’re able to do that, we’ll definitely bounce back and be in competition for the Premier League title. These are the standards that this team, this club has set over the last few years, the last decade. Unfortunately nothing less than that is enough in a very competitive Premier League.”