Pass Master

Manchester City’s German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is keen to make up for lost time.

- Nick Bidwell

One of the most complete midfielders in Europe when fit and firing, German international Ilkay Gundogan has proved an instant hit at Manchester City following his £21million summer move from Borussia Dortmund. He has quickly established himself as a vital component in Pep Guardiola’s engine room, supplying enough craft, energy and aggression for three men, and elevating himself to the rank of cult hero after scoring twice in the 3-1 Champions League victory over Barcelona.

Not that the 26-year-old was always as quick to integrate on changing clubs.

After leaving Nuremberg for Bundesliga champions Dortmund in 2011, his first six months at the Westfalenstadion were, by common consent, a disaster. Pilloried for his poor form and dropped from the first team only a few weeks into the campaign, he was initially seen by fans and media alike as a “Fehleinkauf” (bad buy).

As forth right as ever, Dortmund coach, Jurgen Klopp laid it on the line at the time, saying: “For someone of his capabilities, he’s still not sufficiently dominant for me. He has the potential to make a much bigger contribution to a game and be more prepared to go on the attack.”

Back then, the prevailing view was that Gundogan’s failure to launch his Dortmund career was entirely his own fault. However, what the critics seemed to forget was the huge task he faced: settling in at his first big club, the greater media scrutiny, and filling the gap left by Real Madrid-bound Nuri Sahin, who had performed so impressively the previous season.

“It would do me good if I was accepted here as Ilkay Gundogan and not a copy of Nuri Sahin,” he declared in an interview on German TV programme Sportschau.