Ilkay Gundogan's session with Manchester City Under 16's proves he's destined to be a world-class coach
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Ilkay Gundogan looks destined to be a world-class coach in the making as well as an elite player, as evidenced in a viral video.
Gundogan, who scored twice to give Manchester City the title on the final day last season, was appointed permanent captain this season after the departure of skipper Fernandinho.
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He remains an integral player for the Premier League champions but in addition to his playing exploits, Gundogan has achieved his UEFA B licence.
As part of the process, the Germany international spent time working with the Under 16 players at City and put on training sessions for them.
His first session with the youngsters took place in February and was filmed by the club, with the footage being used in the CITY+ documentary 'Together: Champions Again!', which provided unprecedented access to another title-winning campaign.
Gundogan's session placed an emphasis on the use of eye contact, short, repeating passes and creating space on the opposite side of the pitch.
That was fun!👨🏻🏫⚽ I got the chance to manage a training session of the @ManCity Under-16 as a part of my coaching license course - an interesting experience to teach these young talents on their road to professional football💙 pic.twitter.com/YXT6PuBAcF
— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) February 4, 2022
It was a session that covered a lot of the principles central to City's way of playing and ultimately their success under Pep Guardiola.
One of the most intelligent players in the Premier League, Gundogan looked like a natural communicating with his players, constantly encouraging and explaining in detail so that they understood his ideas.
He has learned from some of the best coaches in the game, including Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Joachim Low and Hansi Flick.
Yes, that's definitely an option. I'm doing my coaching license right now. I'm very privileged that I was able to experience or still experience so many top-class coaches myself with Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick and Jogi Löw. https://t.co/NEUThxthoH
— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) January 13, 2022
"There are no concrete plans (for coaching) right now,” he said in the documentary, as per City's official site.
"I started at the beginning of last season, May or June, with the German FA.
"The reason I wanted to do it is: I’m 31, hopefully I’ve got some more years ahead of me, and I want to be ahead of things.
"This is an area I’ve always wanted to explore, especially having the privilege of working with Pep (Guardiola), Thomas Tuchel and (Jurgen) Klopp.
"I wanted to learn some stuff with the German FA and the academy U-16's. I’m now the owner of the B licence, then I’ll go for A and the pro licence.”
Gundogan is an avid Football Manager player and started a save in the Championship with Fulham, opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The preparations never stop... 🤓⚽ Just a normal football evening at home 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/rzUn3R8jf5
— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) January 12, 2022
Guardiola himself has tipped Gundogan to go into coaching, while teammate Kevin De Bruyne is also on the same path having completed his UEFA A licence days after being crowned the Premier League Player of the Season.
Featured Image Credit: Image: Manchester City & Ilkay Gundogan
Topics: Manchester City, Ilkay Gundogan, Premier League
