Man City would miss impact of quiet but deadly Gundogan

When Pep Guardiola made Ilkay Gundogan his first recruit on his arrival at Manchester City in 2016 despite the German being sidelined with a long-term injury, little did fans know he would go on to become an era-defining signing.

If Gundogan departs when his contract expires this month, he would leave not just with 14 trophies but with countless memories as well, having taught the all-conquering team that giving up was never an option.

The Germany international had missed the 2016 Euros with a dislocated kneecap and played only 10 league games before tearing the cruciate ligaments in his right knee and sitting out the rest of his debut season.

But even with the riches at City's disposal, it became evident that Gundogan was irreplaceable in Guardiola's lineup as he quickly became the heir apparent to Yaya Toure, the ageing hero of the pre-Guardiola era.

The unassuming and soft-spoken German never displayed the same flashy traits as his fellow superstars, instead quietly going about his business - overlooked by many but always an integral cog in the City winning machine.

Under Guardiola he became the ideal box-to-box midfielder and a reliable goal scorer with his late runs into the area, a silent assassin so often picked up by his opponents when it was already too late.

Such was Gundogan's consistency that before Erling Haaland arrived he was City's top scorer in the 2020-21 season with 17 goals, while his five-minute brace in the last game of the 2021-22 season helped City pip Liverpool to the title by a point.

Haaland may have scored 52 times this season but Gundogan has always been a constant threat. Now the team's captain, he has led from the front, his contributions defined by becoming the man for the clutch moments in