Barcelona signed Ilkay Gundogan as a free agent last summer after he left Manchester City after not being able to agree to a contract extension with the Premier League champions.
Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Man City manager Pep Guardiola misses his former trusted lieutenant and regrets the fact that the Cityzens did not close out a new deal with the midfielder.
Gundogan was one of the ex-Barcelona coach’s most trusted players on the pitch. He was among their senior-most players at the Etihad and was even their captain as they won the historic treble last season.
Manchester City, though, showed a lack of urgency in securing his contract renewal, which saw Barcelona capitalise.
The decision has seemingly backfired on City as they have missed Gundogan’s leadership qualities and dynamic nature, which has not been matched by the signings of Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes.
Man City, and particularly Guardiola, missed Gundogan’s ability to unlock defences when they were kicked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the quarter-final.
Gundogan has been an asset for Barcelona since arriving
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
Barcelona have used Gundogan to his fullest and he has become an important part of Xavi’s plans, with the trend expected to continue heading into the next season.
The midfielder is among the manager’s most-used players in his maiden year with the Catalans, playing 47 times for the team, scoring five goals and providing 12 assists in the process.
The 33-year-old’s mentality has also been a calibre above the rest of his teammates, which Xavi will hope that the younger players can imbibe.
Gundogan called the team out when they lost to Real Madrid on home soil in La Liga and did not mince his words when Araujo uncharacteristically got Barcelona reduced to 10 men in their Champions League quarter-final versus Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester City are unlikely to be able to get their hands back on Gundogan, but Barcelona will be more than happy that they signed a player with his profile as a free agent.
