Ilkay Gundogan, who has been demonstrating excellent athletic form this season, has received praise from team strategist Pep Guardiola.
The dominating German in midfield has already played 14 matches this season, scored two goals, and provided as many assists.
P. Guardiola believes that there are not many safe players like I. Gundogan in Europe.
"He is a very intelligent player. It is one of my favorite qualities. Such a player quickly understands what is happening on the field and tries to correct the situation as quickly as possible," the strategist said.
"He can adapt to various roles - play not only in midfield, but also be an excellent sniper in the penalty area. He has a strong personality to play in this position.
About the defensive midfield position, I really did not expect him to adapt so well to this role and consistently show good game, especially in defensive tasks. He is an exceptional player, one of the best in all of Europe.
He is not a typical defender. We never want a player in our team who just defends - we need him to play well with the ball. We have never had any doubts about his abilities.
Fernandinho missed a large part of last season due to injury, and Ilkay was just an ideal replacement," Guardiola praised his protege without hesitation.
