Manchester City and Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been sharing Manchester City’s mantra in the USA recently.
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With City announcing the schedule for their U.S. tour this summer, Gundogan’s long-term knee injury meant he was able to travel Stateside and work on his rehab while he also checked out New York City, promoted City’s upcoming tour, hung out in the studio with the NBC Sports crew — see the video above as Gundogan talks tactics with Robbie Earle — and also took in some MLS action.
He was a busy, busy man.
[ MORE: PL giants announce US tour dates ]
Speaking to Pro Soccer Talk after his trip, the 26-year-old midfielder is excited about returning to the States this summer with his teammates as they face Real Madrid in LA, Tottenham Hotspur in Nashville and arch rivals Manchester United in preseason games.
“This preseason will be really important for the club, and it was also a privilege to represent the club and help launch our summer tour of the USA,” Gundogan said. “We are due to play some amazing games against Spurs, Real Madrid and also the derby with Manchester United. It’s a great chance to see some more USA cities and culture, and the players will be delighted to be out there in some good weather in some amazing stadiums, in order to prepare for the season.”
Gundogan was a key part of Pep Guardiola‘s rebuild of City last summer but the former Borussia Dortmund star suffered a season-ending injury in December. He is well on the road to recovery and has had a close friend throughout the last few weeks of his rehab.
Joining him on his trip to the U.S. was fellow City teammate Gabriel Jesus — the 19-year-old Brazilian striker is recovering from a broken metatarsal — and the duo enjoyed hanging out in New York City to give themselves a break from the day-to-day grind in the gym.
“The hospitality in New York was brilliant, and the overall trip was a great way for Gabriel and myself to combine our rehabilitation in the gym with some marketing and community work for the club,” Gundogan explained. “We took in some U.S. sports by visiting games at New York City FC, the Brookyln Nets and New York Rangers, and also did some sightseeing around New York. I enjoyed seeing the Manchester City billboard advert in Times Square with our photo on it! And watching Germany beat England in a New York bar in Manhattan was also an experience…”
One of the advantages of visiting the Big Apple was the fact that City’s stars could spend some time with sister club New York City FC and Gundogan and Gabriel had the chance to meet with NYCFC boss Patrick Vieira, with the German taking a keen interest in how the game is developing in the USA.
“Gabriel and I went for dinner with Patrick Vieira and we heard all about how well he is enjoying coaching New York City FC. And we saw the NYCFC game against Montreal, and it was incredible to witness the passion for the club there at Yankee Stadium,” Gundogan said. “There is no doubt that soccer is on an upward curve in the USA, and its very interesting to see it developing. The passion for sport is evident, the facilities are incredible, and they have all the ingredients for soccer to continue to improve.”
Overall, the trip was a great way for the silky midfielder to taste the U.S. before a big summer Stateside for City and MLS had a lasting impression on the German star who is hopeful that soccer will continue to grow and progress.
“We do get to see MLS games over in Europe now and then, and there is an increased focus on it at Manchester City, given our colleagues in New York play in that league,” Gundogan said. “It was great to see it in the flesh at Yankee Stadium last week and I’ll definitely be paying a closer attention to it in future. I certainly think it has a great potential. There are some great players in the league, both from at home and also the stars coming from elsewhere around the globe like Andrea Pirlo and David Villa. The standard is improving all the time.”
