Ilkay Gundogan got a perfect Man City exit - but surprise return offers unexpected solution for all

It transpires there is a way of replacing the irreplaceable. Manchester City missed Ilkay Gundogan and so Manchester City are signing Ilkay Gundogan. After one of the greatest goodbyes in footballing history, it may be something of a sheepish return for the German. And if a surprise sequel at the Etihad Stadium surely cannot have as perfect an ending as the first, for City a comeback can still seem to represent an unexpectedly perfect solution. They scarcely required a bargain – especially after Julian Alvarez’s £82m move to Atletico Madrid – but, on a free transfer, they have got one anyway.

City needed a midfielder capable of deputising for Rodri when he is missing but, given how many games the Spaniard plays, one capable of occupying another role as well. There are relatively few who meet Pep Guardiola’s exacting demands in terms of technique and tactical awareness, and normally newcomers can take time to adjust. Not with a 12-month sabbatical in Catalonia, though: after seven years and 304 games for City, Guardiola’s former neighbour has the experience and keen intellect to slot straight back in.

In a way, anyway. The Treble-winning skipper will have a diminished status. Mateo Kovacic has Gundogan’s No 8 shirt, Kyle Walker his captain’s armband. Kovacic’s tour de force at Chelsea on Sunday looks particularly timely now, given the added competition for midfield berths.

And yet, assured in possession as the Croatian is, Gundogan possessed another dimension: his last game in England brought a goal after 13 seconds and a match-winning brace. It was the 2023 FA Cup final, proof of Gundogan’s capacity to decide the biggest matches. He scored 38 times in his last three campaigns at City. Rodri helped fill the void last season but Kovacic, Kalvin Phillips and Matheus Nunes – a failure of a signing who seems destined to become a forgotten man now – got just four between them in 2023-24.

Gundogan is a multidimensional midfielder and even in winning the title, City missed him in different games in different ways. Without him, and when Kevin de Bruyne was injured, there was a more prosaic feel to some of their midfields last season. Now there looks an enviable assortment of options, with Gundogan, De Bruyne, Rodri, Kovacic, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva all coveting spots in the central trio. Gundogan has never been a specialist defensive midfielder and lacks Rodri’s physical presence, but he has the footballing intelligence to play the deeper role: after their wretched record without Rodri last season, victory at Chelsea represented a shift. Now they have addressed one of their potential weaknesses.

The losers, beyond City’s rivals, may be found in their own squad. If the pecking order is reshaped, it could come at a cost to James McAtee as well as Nunes. Rico Lewis’ only opportunities might come at full-back. For Foden, finally gravitating to the middle last season, and Silva, who seemed likely to move infield more often after Savinho’s arrival, there could be more time on the flanks.

And, in turn, if Foden is found on the left more often, it could come at a cost to Jack Grealish.

Perhaps Gundogan’s late arrival suggests he will spend more time on the bench than before – in 2022-23, only six of his 51 appearances were as a substitute – but there is little evidence of decline. He was among Barcelona’s best players last season, a total of 14 assists testament to his creativity. His international retirement, announced this week, should further suit City.

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Their only concern may lie in the future. Gundogan gives them a ticking timebomb in midfield. He turns 34 in October, as De Bruyne does in June. Kovacic and Silva are both in their thirties. Either Guardiola or a successor will have to forge a new midfield. The rebuilding process might be set back for an immediate injection of class.

And Silva, who was long courted by Barcelona, and for many another they try and sign on the cheap, the Gundogan saga may represent a salutary warning. The German found frustrations in Catalonia, as critical comments of teammates last season showed. He had joined a club where the standards were lower. The brochure of Barcelona was not the reality.

Then came the indignity of being undermined; many another has experienced the indignity of Barcelona’s desperate attempts to offload them, amid their financial problems, their struggles to afford and register new signings. Gundogan is not the first to discover that the modern-day Barcelona can be eloquent in trying to persuade players to stay and brutal in attempting to get them to leave. Fine footballers seem liable to be treated badly there.

Having left City in the glow of the treble, Gundogan found that, after all, the grass was greener in the Mancunian rain than the Catalan sun.