Pep Guardiola might have already decided on Ilkay Gundogan replacement at Man City

How do you replace a club legend?

Manchester City have had the fortune or misfortune to have to tackle this question a lot in recent years as a string of greats have ended their association with the club for either retirement or another challenge. And while Ruben Dias has done a terrific job of taking over from Vincent Kompany at the heart of the defence, more often than not the conclusion has been that the best option is to move on instead.

City have not had a midfielder capable of doing what Yaya Toure or David Silva or Sergio Aguero did in this team, and Ilkay Gundogan found that out the hard way when Silva was at the club. Gundogan was immensely talented but it took years for him to emerge as a star in the team in no small part because he was usually judged for how well he could do what either Silva or Kevin De Bruyne did ahead of him.

The challenge now for Pep Guardiola is to fill Gundogan's void in the side, and that will be no easy task. Few players in world football have the ability to be so assured in both defensive midfield and popping up in the box to provide crucial goals.

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That might explain an unusual strategy from the club in the summer transfer window, with Mateo Kovacic signed from Chelsea for £25m but not as a direct Gundogan replacement before an unsuccessful dalliance with Declan Rice that saw Arsenal pay West Ham £105m to sign him. Jude Bellingham was wanted before he chose Real Madrid, while there remain plenty of midfielders who City like - they just aren't keen enough to move for any at the moment.

If there isn't the perfect profile out there to replicate Gundogan, there is still every chance that the City