Ilkay Gundogan is extremely impressed with the skills of his new Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland. “Erling has incredible quality. This force up front, this dynamic – that is unique. I’ve already followed him from afar at BVB, so I knew what we would get from him in terms of sport,” explained the 31-year-old midfielder in an interview with “World on Sunday”.
Gündogan himself played a total of 157 times for Borussia Dortmund between 2011 and 2016, then he was signed by the “Citizens” for 27 million euros. The veteran is now captain of the Premier League club. The 22-year-old center forward Haaland switched from the black and yellow to Man City this summer with an exit clause for 60 million euros. In his first ten competitive games, the Norwegian contributed 15 goals, and in the English top flight he leads the scorer list well ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Kane (29).
“Now that he’s here, I have to say that I was a bit surprised at what a great character Erling has on top of that. He is very down-to-earth, diligent and works hard, and you always get the feeling that he can get even better,” said Gündogan with the greatest appreciation. Looking at Haaland’s spectacular 2-1 victory in the Champions League against ex-Dortmund, he said: “Erling is a phenomenon. His ambition is impressive – he will do anything to score goals.”
Gündogan’s assessment of the DFB team before the World Cup in Qatar
The German national team sees Gündogan on a promising path ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. The professional has a “good” feeling and justifies that: “I think that we have made a great development. All players like coming to the national team. The mood is good and positive,” he said and said: “We are not yet where we can and want to be, but we are on the way there.” Whether his statements before or after the disappointing defeat in the Nations League against Hungary (0:1) is not known.
With Haaland & Awoniyi: The most expensive Premier League signings in 2022/23
Philippe Coutinho | Barça -> Aston Villa (after loan) | Transfer fee: €20 million
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