While the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne have been grabbing the headlines with their fantastic performances for Manchester City, Ilkay Gundogan has quietly gone about establishing himself as one of Pep Guardiola's go-to players in the early stages of the new season.
When Gundogan came off the bench to score two goals in a title-clinching comeback win on the final day of last season, it looked as though the German midfielder had signed off on his City career in fairytale fashion. Many speculated that he was on his way out, confusing a trip to Italy to get married with a business trip to conduct negotiations with suitors.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola explains Ilkay Gundogan call that Man City can benefit from
