“Unbelievable human being” – Ilkay Gundogan says Enzo Maresca will be ‘incredible’ as Man City manager | OneFootball

Former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan has described new manager Enzo Maresca as “incredible” and predicted overwhelming support for the Italian from within the club.

Gundogan, 35, worked alongside the new City boss during the Italian’s time as a first-team assistant under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium – a period in which Maresca earned widespread admiration within the club’s coaching structure for his attention to detail and his ability to connect with players on both a tactical and personal level.

The former Germany international departed Manchester City in the summer of 2023 to join Barcelona – only to return a year later for another season – having served as club captain during one of the most decorated periods in the club’s history.

Maresca’s appointment as City’s new manager has been broadly welcomed by those connected to the club who worked with him during his time on Guardiola’s coaching staff, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano both citing the Italian’s personality and intelligence as central to his selection as Guardiola’s successor.

Gundogan’s assessment now adds one of the most credible external voices to that chorus of approval, lending further weight to the sense that the appointment represents a genuine continuation of the values and principles that defined Manchester City‘s most successful era rather than a departure from them.

Gundogan: Maresca has the intelligence to make the right decisions

Speaking to Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, Gundogan said of Maresca: “I think he has amazing qualities. Maybe they’re now obviously different than he was when he was an assistant, but you know he’s smart and knows exactly what he does.

“As a human being he’s unbelievable, honestly. In football, I’ve not met many other people like him. I think he will be incredible and, similar to Pep, he has the intelligence to do the right decisions and do the right tactical things.

“But also the human side, to get everyone on board. I’m sure probably 99% of people inside the club will also be very happy.”

The directness of the Guardiola comparison is striking, coming as it does from a player who spent a decade working under the Catalan and who understands better than almost anyone what it takes to lead Manchester City at the very highest level.

What does Gundogan’s verdict tell us about Man City’s new era?

The endorsement is notable not only for its warmth but for its specificity, with Gundogan’s emphasis on the combination of tactical intelligence and human qualities representing precisely the dual capability that Maresca has begun to demonstrate in his early interactions with the squad at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola’s greatness at Manchester City was never purely about formations or press triggers – it was rooted in an extraordinary ability to make players feel valued, understood and capable of achieving more than they believed possible, and Gundogan’s insistence that Maresca possesses that same combination suggests the transition between the two managers may be smoother in practice than the size of Guardiola’s legacy might otherwise imply.

For director of football Hugo Viana, who has worked closely alongside Maresca since the Italian’s formal appointment was confirmed, the public backing of a figure as respected as Gundogan further validates the process that led the club to select Maresca as the man to lead the next phase of their development.

Whether Maresca can ultimately justify the extraordinary confidence being placed in him – by former players, club officials and supporters alike – will only become clear once the 2026-27 campaign begins in earnest, but Gundogan’s verdict suggests that those who know the new City manager best have very little doubt about the answer.