Pep Guardiola is hopeful that Ilkay Gundogan can continue his excellent start to the season after protecting him against Crystal Palace.
Gundogan, who has been voted as the new club captain this season, is into the final year of his current contract at the Etihad but has started the first three Premier League games of the season and has contributed both goals and assists to the team. While the midfielder was left out of the starting lineup against Crystal Palace, he came off the bench to provide Erling Haaland with the ball that got him his hat-trick.
Rather than preferring other players for that selection, Guardiola explained he instead opted to look after Gundogan after the 31-year-old was not fully fit ahead of the game. Having sensed that the star has begun the season in particularly good form, the manager hopes that measuring his minutes can ensure he can have the biggest contribution possible.
