Ilkay Gundogan reveals the players who have surprised him most at Barcelona

Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has made it clear how much he’s looking forward to playing alongside Pedri and Frenkie de Jong for Xavi’s side.

The Germany international is currently preparing to make his debut for his new club after moving from Manchester City this summer.

Gundogan has been asked which players have surprised him the most at Barcelona and came up with the following response.

“I already knew most of them, from watching them play and also from playing against them, either at club or national team competition.

“There was a player with whom I was eager to play and it is Pedri. I think he is a great talent, he is so young and at the same time so good, he has so much potential...

“Of course, we play in similar positions and we will probably play a lot of games close to each other. We will try to find each other a lot.

“Something similar with Frenkie de Jong. As a midfielder, you appreciate these types of players being close to you on the pitch, players to pass the ball to, mix and match and create actions and combo.”

Source | Mundo Deportivo

Xavi had reportedly been keen to bring in Gundogan to allow him to rotate Pedri when needed. It’s not clear yet where Xavi plans to use Gundogan but we may get more of an idea during the next week when Barca play Arsenal and Real Madrid in pre-season.