Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has admitted he would love to follow Mikel Arteta’s path into management, heaping praise on the Arsenal manager.
Gundogan has been speaking to Sky Sports Germany about his return to Manchester City and what may be coming in the future.
He made a surprise return to Manchester City this summer when Barcelona allowed him to move on to help balance the books.
City showed no hesitation in bringing him back, the midfielder having long been a favourite for Pep Guardiola, who even made an exception to sign him given his age.
At 33-years-old, Gundogan is very much in the latter part of his career at this point and Guardiola has made it clear in the past he would not sign players in that age bracket.
The German is the exception but that does not mean there is not one eye on the future for all parties, hence why the midfielder has only signed a one-year deal at the club.
He already has his eye on a transition into management and has been following Arteta’s progress at Arsenal with particular interest.
The Spaniard was once the assistant manager to Guardiola at Manchester City before moving to Arsenal in 2019. He’s since transformed them into City’s main rivals at the top of the Premier League and Gundogan would love to enjoy a similar path.
“Mikel is a very smart person who really knows what he wants and has to do to achieve certain things,” he said.
“It quickly became clear to me when I met him that this was the path he would take. I’m not surprised that he’s doing so well with Arsenal and that they’re playing football at such a high level.
“Pep’s influence is of course very big because Mikel worked with Pep for several years. That’s why the gameplay is very similar. Therefore, the duel is perhaps more interesting than other duels.
“He’s really doing a great job and just extended his contract a few days ago. So, he will stay with Arsenal for a few more years and I am sure that they will continue to compete for the title in the next few years. If I could follow a similar path to Mikel in the future, that would be a stroke of luck.”
