Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola effectively confirmed that the veteran midfielder Ikay Gundogan will remain at the club next season.
Last summer, the 34-year-old midfielder went to his former club to force himself through a return from Barcelona. Gundogan initially signed a one -year agreement with the option of an extension of 12 months that could trigger the club or automatically if the German International reaches a number of appearances.
Asked if this threshold will be fulfilled this season, Guardiola admitted: “I think yes. I do. Yes.”
After supporting an expanded spell well below the elite levels of recent years, the city has begun to rejuvenate the workforce. More than £ 170 million were spent In the winter window of five players with an average age of 21 years.
Guardiola has recently revealed That the club can no longer tolerate players who are unable to deal with the physical demands of playing a game every three days: to issue doubts about the future of a veteran nucleus consisting of Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne.
Like Gundogan, Bruyne’s agreement expires this summer, but Guardiola only referred to the Belgian prone to injury when he reflects on the future makeup of the workforce.
“There are players who are more than 30 years old who are part of the future of this club, except Kevin, where he and the club will decide,” said Guardiola this week. “Others have contracts and next season I hope they are here. They will help us? Yes or Yes!”
It City Boss explicitly reviewed the name Gundogan, who has not officially announced his extension of contract as part of the future of the workforce. “Next season there will be many games and these games cannot be done only with new or the old; you have to be all together!” Guardiola continued. “I count on Gundo, I have Bernie (Bernardo Silva), I have all the players who have a Man City contract, they are there! Without a doubt about it. And they will be really important at the end of this season and next season.”
Several reports have stated that Guardiola is looking for Jettison up to eight players this summer to try to raise funds even more investment. However, he rushed to praise the previous success of those experienced professionals. “I cannot find out my period here without Gundogan, Bernardo, Kevin … I am more grateful than you could ever imagine. The success we have had as an impossible manager without these players.
“The legacy that we are going to leave behind for the next: players, sports directors, CEOs, of the last decade or two, is due to these types of players. Not only these three, others like John (Stones), players who are no longer here. The reality is today, tomorrow, the following days, we try to win games and I make decisions. It is never.”
