Ilkay Gundogan reached out to Fernandinho this season for advice on the Manchester City captaincy.
Gundogan has taken over from the Brazilian, who left at the end of his contract in the summer, after topping the squad vote in the early weeks of this season. Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker and Rodri are also part of the leadership group.
Fernandinho gave everything he had to the club during his nine years here and skippered the team for the final two years, taking over from David Silva. Even after leaving, he has still been helping out the Blues by offering his wisdom to his successor when Gundogan came asking.
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Even if Gundogan still feels he needs to grow into his role as captain, he is happy with the atmosphere in the dressing room after a summer of significant change at the Etihad. Six first-team players left and six have come in, with January signing Julian Alvarez adding to the five arrivals in the last window.
"I think the atmosphere is quite similar. We lost good players but also really good guys who were important for the positivity we have in the dressing room," he said.
"But with also new players coming in and others stepping up they contribute to the atmosphere so I think it’s never really an issue. Every team in the world needs to deal with recruiting new players and players leaving.
"My personal role has changed a little bit but it's really more about what is happening around the team in terms of organisation and dealing with a few things. I was lucky enough to have someone like Fernandinho and even this season I contacted him and asked him for advice and a few things.
"He helped me out already even though he's not here anymore. But obviously it's a new role for me and something I might need to grow into a little. I don't try to change too many things.
"I try to lead by example and even though maybe I'm not the loudest in the dressing room I try to lead with my actions and with going forward always. That's really it.
"We have a lot of characters in the team who are loud, quiet - everyone is different - so it is something that naturally takes its process throughout the season."
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