Major Ilkay Gundogan future update and summer transfer plans – Every Word from part two of Pep Guardiola’s Crystal Palace review press conference | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Ilkay Gundogan has triggered a one-year automatic extension to his Manchester City contract.

The former Germany international rejoined the Etihad Stadium club on a free transfer from FC Barcelona last summer, penning a one-year deal with the possibility of a further 12 months providing he featured in a certain percentage of the club’s matches this season.

Given the severity of Manchester City’s injury problems throughout the course of the campaign, the 34-year-old has been called upon by Guardiola more often than he perhaps would have expected when he returned to England.

Confirmation of a contract extension to Gundogan has been followed up by significant praise from his manager over the standard of performances put in by the veteran midfielder, bringing back memories of the treble season or domestic quadruple campaign.

Comments from Pep Guardiola during the second-half of his Crystal Palace review conference also include discussions over Omar Marmoush, Ederson’s latest injury problem, and the upcoming summer transfer window.

Following the release of the second-half of Pep Guardiola’s review press conference following the 5-2 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, here is every single word from the Etihad Stadium boss!

On Ederson’s injury

“No (update). One month or two months ago, he had problems, muscular, that’s why he was a few days out. But when he made the pass to (James) McAtee, he felt the same feeling and that’s why he came out.”

On Ilkay Gundogan’s contract extension trigger

“He has one more year contract, definitely. What’s going to happen (in the summer), I don’t know, but he has one more year contract now. The Gundo from Leicester, the Gundo from Bournemouth, the Gundo from today (vs Crystal Palace) is the Gundo I remember, when we won the Treble and Quadruple and an important player.

“So his activity, his pace, his defensive intelligence arrived. Gundo has been with us massively. And as a team we could not help him, because it’s not about you, you, you. Everyone was down, was below, because the team was not playing good.

“When the team plays good, the individuals rise. Without that, in modern football you can not do it.”

On Omar Marmoush

“Yeah (he can smell goals), and his runs. We’re a team that likes to get the ball into the feet, he makes a run, and he understood the intensity you have to play with. And look, he had one goal again, could score easily.

“I don’t know, with the first one he was being pulled by the defender and the last one with the assist from Kevin (De Bruyne), he could score, like (James) McAtee, three goals easy! In front, one-on-one with the keeper. That is what the team has to try to do, deliver that.

“And after, score and score, demand to score. But the only way to score or to create chances and score goals is play good. And today we did it.”

On Omar Marmoush adapting to a new league and replacing Erling Haaland

“The numbers are really good. The numbers are really, really, really good. He arrived here, the impact in the middle of the season, and in a moment that we are not good. Sometimes comes one player when it’s fluid and everything is fine, it’s easy to adapt. But coming when the team is not playing good, that is big value, big credit.”

On whether he feels Manchester City will need another four new players in the summer, or maybe just one or two

“No idea. (Really?) Really. No no, it’s true, no idea. All the players are contracted, we’ll see what happens. No idea.”

On whether left-back is a priority having not had a dedicated left-back for several seasons

“Obviously. Nico (O’Reilly) is helping us, but he’s not a left-back. That’s true. I played with Alex Zinchenko at left-back, Fabian Delph at left-back. We found solutions in many, many years, and with other qualities they help us.

“Alex and Fabian for example, or sometimes Rico (Lewis) when I play the full-backs left, they help us massively. But yeah, of course we don’t have… of course we can have Nathan (Ake), but Nathan – like John Stones – has been injured all season.

“The most important thing is, from my point of view, I said to the club, which players are reliable for the future. You cannot perform if you are not reliable, you are injured. This is which players that we have, they can play every three days, three days, three days or cannot play every three days, three days. Since then, build a squad for the next season.”