During his post-match press conference following the victory over Burnley, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for midfield general Ilkay Gundogan.
The lowdown: A Pep favourite
Signed for £21million from Borussia Dortmund (Sky Sports), Gundogan was the Spanish manager’s first signing when taking over at the Etihad.
Since then the experienced German has made an astonishing 244 appearances for the Citizens, scoring 43 times and providing 33 assists in that time.
Therefore, it’s perhaps of little surprise that Guardiola would hold the midfielder in such high esteem after he became the highest-scoring German in Premier League history on Saturday.
The latest: record-breaking exploits
Gundogan volleyed home City’s second goal on the afternoon, overtaking Mesut Ozil’s previously tally of 33 English top-flight strikes.
Speaking after the comfortable 2-0 success at Turf Moor, Guardiola sang the praises of the 31-year-old’s display.
As quoted by City Xtra on Twitter, the Spanish boss stated: “Wow! He’s an exceptional human being first. So intelligent, you can talk with him about everything, and it’s nice to have players like him. I’m so glad, happy he could make this record.”
The verdict: High praise indeed
Receiving such high praise from any manager, let alone Guardiola must be music to the ears of any player.
In truth, goal aside this was another performance right out of the top drawer from the £31.5million valued Gundogan (Transfermarkt), who completed 5/5 long balls, 50/55 passes and made one successful tackle in an all-important victory for the Sky Blues (Sofascore).
This latest strike took the German to eight goals for the season, combined with another six assists from 34 appearances across all competitions, as the once defensive midfielder continues to defy conventional wisdom with his goalscoring prowess in recent seasons.
In other news: Man City linked with move for La Liga star. Find out more here.
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