Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola announced the activation of the extension clause in German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan’s contract, keeping him with the team until the summer of 2026.

Gündogan returned to Manchester City last summer after one season with Barcelona, ​​signing a one-year contract that expires in June 2025, with the option to extend for an additional year.

Guardiola told the British newspaper The Mirror: “Gündogan has another year on his contract, that’s for sure.” He added: “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but he will continue with us until the end of next season.”

The Spanish manager praised the player’s potential, saying: “Gündogan is the same player who shone with us during the treble. He is active, fast, and defensively intelligent, and he played a major role in our successes.”

Guardiola confirmed that the team’s decline in form this season has affected the performance of some players, explaining: “We weren’t able to help him enough. It’s not about one player, it’s about the whole team. When the team isn’t performing well, it’s difficult for any player to perform at their usual level.”

On the other hand, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his great admiration for the performance of Egyptian star Omar Marmoush since joining the team during the last winter transfer window, describing his performance as a “great achievement” two months after signing the former Eintracht Frankfurt striker.

Guardiola told City’s official website: “Omar Marmoush came in at a critical moment, when we were faltering, but he didn’t give up. He shone and imposed himself. This is a great achievement.”

The City manager added: “His numbers speak for themselves: six goals in 10 league games and one in the FA Cup, all while he was still getting to know the team.”

Pep revealed the Egyptian star’s most important qualities, saying, “Adapting is easy when things are going well, but Marmoush showed up when we were struggling, and that’s the mark of a great player.”

Regarding the Egyptian star’s recent match against Crystal Palace, he said, “He could have easily scored a hat-trick, whether with De Bruyne’s assist or his own skill.”

He concluded, “Marmoush has great intelligence in moving around the pitch and knows how to exploit space when we have the ball. He could have scored more goals than he has so far.”