Ilkay Gundogan opens door to Manchester City return in new Etihad Stadium role | OneFootball

Ilkay Gundogan has admitted he could return to Manchester City in future, following his visit to the Etihad Stadium on their final Premier League match of the season.

The 35-year-old, who parted ways with the English giants last year, was back in attendance for Pep Guardiola’s farewell to the club on May 24, which also marked the last game for iconic veterans Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

The Catalan’s departure was an emotional affair for the club, as he concluded an illustrious 10-year managerial tenure at the Etihad Stadium during which he won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League crown.

Ilkay Gundogan was a major part of Pep Guardiola’s squad since the manager’s arrival in the summer of 2016, and continued to be a key player for the 55-year-old during his first seven years in charge.

“There’s a chance,” says Gundogan on possible Man City return

Ilkay Gundogan was named Manchester City’s club captain in August 2022 and led the squad to win a historic continental treble that same season, where he also netted the fastest goal in FA Cup final history during the 2-1 win over Manchester United.

Following his one-season tenure at Barcelona in the 2023/2024 campaign, the German star returned to the Etihad Stadium on a one-year deal in August 2024.

In September 2025, he made the move to Turkish side Galatasaray on a free transfer after cementing his legacy in City’s history, registering a final total of 65 goals and 48 assists in 358 appearances, while winning 16 major trophies across his two stints.

Given his achievements and long association with the Premier League giants, it goes without saying that Manchester City will always be special for Ilkay Gundogan.

And now, the midfielder has revealed that while currently he is focused on his playing career, “there’s a chance” of him returning to Manchester City as a coach in the future, speaking to the Manchester Evening News,

“We were joking around actually a little bit, with my wife as well as with people in the club [about me coming back as a coach]. Of course, there’s a chance.”

“Obviously, it depends a little on my own decisions, on my drive also, in terms of how I want to evolve after finishing or pursuing my active career. I feel like I have still a couple of really good years with me. I would like to play a little more because I’m still enjoying it to play.”

The former Manchester City skipper mentioned that he would like to return to the ‘place that has given him everything he wanted as a player’ in a ‘different role’ and added,

“But obviously long-term, everyone knows it’s not a secret that I started doing my coaching badges and tried to see in which kind of direction I would like to go, you know, after my career.”

“And there’s definitely potential, 100 per cent. I mean, this place has given me as a player everything I wanted. So why not try it also in a different role?” he concluded.

Gundogan says not to compare new manager with Guardiola

Along with their on-pitch association for a collective eight seasons at Manchester City, Ilkay Gundogan and Pep Guardiola were also neighbours in the same apartment block for several years.

The midfielder mentioned that while Guardiola’s accomplishments as a manager speak for themselves, the former Bayern Munich coach is also an ‘amazing human being’, and said, “Obviously me being his neighbour, that was maybe also more opportunities to exchange conversations on that side by just having a glass of wine or champagne or whatever.

“So I really appreciated that and I really appreciate him as a man. As a manager we don’t need to talk about him, everyone loves it, but as a human being, for me, he’s an amazing human being.”

With the monumental legacy Pep Guardiola has left behind in Manchester, it will undoubtedly be a difficult job for his successor to match that standard. Speaking in that context, Gundogan urged Citizens not to compare their upcoming head coach with Catalan.

“I think the most difficult thing is not to try to compare too much,” he added. “There are obviously a few names circling around, and we might be able to see who it’s going to be.

“But maybe don’t try to, don’t compare one to one, you know, because at the end of the day every manager has his small little details; maybe not as a general, but there are things that they would like to do differently.

“They are different as human beings. They like other things than other people like, so just accept it, try to get to where that comes in, welcome with open arms, and I think the club is very good and very smart, you know, in kind of taking the right decisions, so I’m sure that the new person coming back in here will be also very successful.”

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Enzo Maresca is set to be appointed as Manchester City’s new head coach on a three-year contract valid until the summer of 2029, with the official announcement expected to be made soon.