Ilkay Gundogan reveals Barcelona player he's excited to play with
- Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona on a free transfer this summer
- One fellow midfielder has particularly caught his eye
- Ex-Man City captain won the Champions League last season
New signing Ilkay Gundogan has revealed he's most excited to play alongside Pedri at Barcelona during the upcoming 2023/24 season.
Gundogan recently left Manchester City - where he won a historic treble as club captain - to join Barca on a two-year deal, with the option for a further year.
The German international is one of two midfield recruits Barcelona have signed this summer, with Oriol Romeu also joining the club from Girona as the de-facto Sergio Busquets replacement. Both join a team already filled if with exciting midfield talent and, speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Gundogan was keen to pinpoint Pedri and Frenkie de Jong for particular praise.
"I already knew most of them [the Barcelona team], from watching them play and also from playing against them, either in club or national team competition," he explained.
"There was a player with whom I was eager to play and it is Pedri. I think he is a great talent, he is so young and at the same time so good, he has so much potential…of course, we play in similar positions and we will probably play a lot of games close to each other. We will try to find each other a lot.
"Something similar with Frenkie de Jong. As a midfielder, you appreciate these types of players being close to you on the pitch, players to pass the ball to, mix and match and create actions and combo."
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Gundogan also discussed his own game, stating that his 'adaptability' will make him a key asset for Xavi Hernandez during the upcoming campaign.
"I would say that a key word to define my game is ‘adaptation’. I think I’m a very flexible player, I can play different positions, different roles, I’ve done it in the past, also at Manchester City, where I played the role of a midfielder, a double pivot, a ’10’, I even played as a ‘false nine'," the player explained.
"Honestly, I think I can play in several positions and the coach appreciates that about me. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that the team succeeds."
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