Man City's Ilkay Gundogan hopeful of pre-season return

Posted Thursday, July 06, 2017 by Skysports.com

Man City's Ilkay Gundogan hopeful of pre-season return
Ilkay Gundogan hopes to return for Manchester City's pre-season programme

Ilkay Gundogan is hopeful he will be fit to play a part in Manchester City's pre-season programme, as he continues his recovery from injury.

After arriving at the Etihad in a £20m move from Borussia Dortmund last summer, the Germany midfielder's first season with City came to an abrupt end when he damaged ligaments in his right knee in December.

Following a lengthy lay-off, the 26-year-old has now returned to training following the summer break and aims to be back on the field in the coming weeks.

Gundogan told City TV: "It is going well. I am training hard.

"It is not easy to be here on my own, nobody else is here. I started two weeks earlier than the team but I know that it is necessary."

City have four matches scheduled, three of which to come in the International Champions Cup in the United States, before they open their Premier League campaign at Brighton on August 12.

Gundogan, his sights set firmly on featuring in the upcoming fixtures, continued: "I still have to do a lot of work until I am back but I am ready and working hard. I am in a good way.

"I am just waiting for the team to come back and maybe I am able to join the first bits of every training session - so warm-up stuff, some passing, some tactical stuff.

"Then hopefully over the next weeks I will be able to join them for the rest of the training sessions and, of course, the games."