Ilkay Gundogan, the captain of Manchester City, said on Monday that he did not have the endurance to keep up with his “party machine” colleague Jack Grealish after his club celebrated winning all three titles.
Gundogan remarked that the antics of the 27-year-old Englishman did not come as a surprise upon his return to the German national team ahead of Tuesday’s international friendly match against Columbia in his hometown of Gelsenkirchen. The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
At a news appearance in Frankfurt, Gundogan said, “You’ve all seen what a party machine Jack is,” referring to his friend Jack.
“It didn’t come as a surprise to me at all. He hoisted all of us onto his shoulders and carried us the whole way.
The former Borussia Dortmund star, who is now 32 years old, continued by saying, “I can’t handle two nights in a row. I was in desperate need of some time off and some relaxation.
The club coached by Pep Guardiola achieved a historic triple by winning the Champions League, the Premier League, and the FA Cup in the previous season. They were just the second English team to accomplish this feat.
Gundogan, whose current deal expires in the summer, said that “no decision had been made” yet about his future, despite rumors that he would be moving to Barcelona or perhaps going back to Dortmund. Gundogan’s current deal expires in the summer.
The midfielder said that while there had been discussions with Dortmund on a possible return, “the probability was not very high.” He also acknowledged that Barcelona “is a very beautiful city.”
Earlier on Monday, Hansi Flick disclosed that Ilkay Gundogan was in the running to lead Germany for only the fourth time on Tuesday, should Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich start from the bench.