He arrived on crutches but is now the crutch around which Pep Guardiola is building his Manchester City side.
Ilkay Gundogan was the difference as City beat Barcelona at the sixth time of asking on Tuesday night. Two goals in a 3-1 victory capped a performance of energy, aggression and invention. Yaya who?
Indeed, City appear to have finally found a midfielder who marries craft, graft and goals. The engine of Toure, the subtlety of David Silva and the instincts of Kevin De Bruyne; Gundogan has the lot.
Ilkay Gundogan celebrates scoring in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Barcelona
Gundogan scored twice and Kevin De Bruyne got the other as Man City won
And to think he cost only £21million from Borussia Dortmund back in June. It was a transfer which slipped under the radar given his injury and the impending European Championship.
He took a tour of the club’s training ground wearing a brace on his right knee and, dressed in cut-off jeans, leather jacket and baseball cap, he looked more like a member of a backstreet dance troupe than he did Premier League footballer.
But footballer he most certainly is, and a fine one at that. At £21m he could well prove the signing of the season. To give that fee some context, Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola received £24m for his part in taking his client to Manchester United.
Gundogan has five goals from nine starts having recovered from that serious knee injury to make his debut in mid September. World-record £89m Pogba, by comparison, has three from 13 appearances.
Gundogan covered a lot of the central areas on the pitch against Barcelona
GUNDOGAN SEASON STATS
Premier League games: 6
Premier League goals: 3
Champions League games: 4
Champions League goals: 2
TOTAL GAMES: 10
TOTAL GOALS: 5
It may have been lost amid the euphoria of his second against Barca, but it was Gundogan who started the move as he nicked possession on the edge of his own box.
Motoring forward, he checked his run entering the penalty area and got his reward as he steered home the rebound after Jesus Navas’ cross deflected off Sergio Aguero.
He made it look simple, as he had done in the first half when arriving unmarked at the far post to meet Raheem Sterling’s pass and fire City level following Lionel Messi’s opener.
Gundogan celebrates City's win with team-mate Leroy Sane in the changing room
Manchester City players and staff celebrate in the dressing room after the victory
But his game was about so much more than his cunning double strike.
Of his 28 passes, every one attempted in the Barca half found its target. The stats men will also tell you that he won five ‘duels’ and made six ‘recoveries’.
This performance, however, should have come as no surprise, especially as, just four days earlier, he scored twice in the 4-0 demolition of West Brom.
After that match, Guardiola spoke of the 26-year-old’s importance.
‘I said to him, “thank you”,’ revealed the Spanish boss.
‘We need him. Without him we cannot achieve our target, it is impossible.’
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