Gundogan feared worst until Pep called

ILKAY GUNDOGAN thought his dream of playing under Pep Guardiola may have vanished nine weeks ago. The central midfielder, a £21million Manchester City signing from Borussia Dortmund, suffered a dislocated kneecap while playing basketball and expects to be back in early September, which could mean his City debut comes away at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby. But Gundogan had feared his move to England was off altogether until a reassuring phonecall from Guardiola. ‘I was really curious about the reaction of not just Pep, but of the club as well,’ said the 25-year-old. ‘What do they think now? Did anything change? Maybe they didn’t want to buy me any more? But Pep called me, he asked me what happened. I told him, I asked him if that changed anything and he said “no, definitely not, I am sure you’ll be fit and ready in a few weeks or months, so for me it changes nothing. Of course, we need to see what the doctors say, but we still want you”. For me that was like the last sign I needed to say, “OK, this move is what I want to do”.’ Gundogan will wear the No 16 shirt, having sought guidance about the Premier League from former boss Jurgen Klopp. The player is relishing the opportunity to step away from the easy life at Dortmund and into ‘the most exciting place on earth for football’. ‘I was at Dortmund for five years,’ he added. ‘I had a wonderful time there but it was time for a change, to have a new adventure because at Dortmund I had my comfort zone. For me there is no better coach than Pep Guardiola.’ City completed another signing yesterday — Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zinchenko from Ufa for around £1.7m. The teenage midfielder will be sent out on loan.