How will Manchester City adjust to the absence of Ilkay Gundogan?
By Adam Stocker
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. How will the Citizens play without him?
Ilkay Gundogan was one of Pep Guardiola’s biggest summer signings when he moved to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Now Guardiola will have to find a way to win without the midfielder, after Gundogan tore his ACL.
Guardiola’s internal options
The Gundogan injury will weaken City’s depth in the midfield, and could lead to a quick exit from the Champions League. With the demands of Europe and league play, City will have fewer options when looking to rotate their squad. Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho will be placed under even greater pressure in Gundogan’s absence.
Injuries to starters open up opportunities to younger players. Aleix Garcia was bought by City in August 2015, but has not featured in many games since making the move from Villarreal. Guardiola has played the 19-year-old three times in league play and twice in the cups. The injury to Gundogan will give him an opportunity to play more.
If Guardiola and Yaya Toure can put past differences behind them, expect the 33-year old to see an increase in minutes following the injury. Guardiola will try to get whatever the Ivory Coast international has left in him this season. Fabian Delph is currently out with an injury. But if he returns that would help City make up for the loss of Gundogan.
Entering the transfer market
The January transfer window is now fast approaching, and City could enter the market to find a stopgap replacement. Guardiola decided to do this with Bayern last season when he signed Serdar Tasci on loan from Spartak Moscow after injuries depleted Bayern’s center-backs.
City could also look to find a long-term answer in the midfield. However, the winter transfer market is notorious for its inflated prices. Selling teams capitalize on teams like City’s desperation to maximize the selling price of their players.
Ross Barkley could be available on transfer from Everton, but City may not want to pay his asking price. Barkley currently has 18 months left on his contract with Everton.
Koke has been linked with a move to City. The Atletico midfielder would be a great replacement for Gundogan, but again the price tag will be sizable. Atletico would also have to be willing to move the Spanish international in January, which the club may not be interested in doing. The 24-year-old is under contract with Madrid until 2019. Two factors make a Koke transfer unlikely: He’s not eligible for Champions League play because he’s already played for Atletico in the competition and he has a 150 million Euro release clause in his contract.
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Gundogan’s future and injury concerns
The torn ACL is the latest in a growing list of injuries for Gundogan. He dislocated the patella in the same knee last season. That injury forced Gundogan to miss 133 days, the end of the Bundesliga season and the European Championship. Gundogan also missed 403 days following back surgery in 2013 with Dortmund, and missed the 2014 World Cup. With the injuries continuing to mount for Gundogan, it’s fair to wonder if City can depend on the German international in the future.