Cherki, Gvardiol react to exit-linked Ilkay Gundogan after Man City masterclass
Ilkay Gundogan caught the attention of his Man City teammates when he took to social media after a 6-0 thrashing of Al-Ain at the Club World Cup.
The German midfielder scored the opener after just eight minutes in the early hours of Monday, 23 June, then grabbed his second for City’s fourth in a spectacular win at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Claudio Echeverri and Rayan Cherki both notched their first goals for the club, with Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb getting in on the action as Pep Guardiola’s side kept up the race with Juventus in Group G.
Despite playing a huge role in the win, Gundogan has recently been linked with a Man City exit, potentially joining Turkish giants Galatasaray on a free transfer this summer.
The 34-year-old continues to play that big role, and as long as he is part of the squad, Guardiola is going to keep utilising him in the middle of the park ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Ilkay Gundogan stars in Man City win at the Club World Cup
Taking to Instagram (23 June), Gundogan wrote: “Big team performance – onto the next round together,” with a blue love heart and muscle emojis, gaining likes from Josko Gvardiol and Cherki.
Pep Guardiola continues to rebuild Man City squad this summer
Football Insider verdict
Kevin De Bruyne‘s move to Napoli looks to be just the start of a total rebuild this summer, with Ederson, Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, and Jack Grealish being linked with exits.
Moves for Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Ait-Nouri have already been made, and even Marcus Bettinelli in between the sticks, and this likely means multiple high-profile transfers away.
Guardiola faced plenty of pressure from Man City fans last season, having been knocked out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup at early stages, and failing to enter the Premier League title race.
The Catalan will be keen to avoid a repeat next term, having gone without silverware for the first time since his first season in England, and the current rebuild would certainly suggest that.
While the squad will take a lot of time to gel together, understanding each other’s playing style, the number of stars now at the Etihad Stadium is eye-watering.
There is no reason why the squad should not achieve so much more next season, and with Guardiola still in charge at the helm, City supporters will be expecting silverware once again.