Man City have another player following in Ilkay Gundogan's footsteps

Pep Guardiola instantly knew the value of Ilkay Gundogan but it took a while for Manchester City fans to get on board.

Guardiola's insistence on fitting Gundogan into his lineup when available didn't help; there was the infamous lineup for the Champions League quarter-final at Anfield in 2018, the infamous lineup for the Champions League final in 2021, and plenty of howling between at a midfield partnership with Rodri that was seen as too slow to be effective. It took a long while for Gundogan's talents to shine through.

Part of that was because of the others already in the squad. Gundogan was admired as a fine footballer, but he wasn't seen as possessing the qualities that Fernandinho, or David Silva, or Kevin De Bruyne did in a world-beating midfield. Every time he played he was judged against those teammates as much as with them, and his journey to become the captain that led City to the Treble was a long one.

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Of course, Gundogan's impact became so huge that his departure for Barcelona in the summer has left a void that hasn't been filled. Guardiola lamented after the Liverpool draw that a player such as Gundogan or De Bruyne could have turned one point into three with their skills.

Manu Akanji will never get as forward as Gundogan did, yet seems to be on the same path as his fellow Bundesliga export. Akanji arrived last summer to low expectations as a relatively cheap signing, and his versatility has not yet been seen as a sign of strength in the positions he has played.

Akanji isn't seen as the best centre-back in the side, or the best left-back, or right-back, and now