Ilkay Gündogan set to remain with Germany until Euro 2024

According to Sport Bild, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, Ilkay Gündogan prefers to stay as part of the German national team until the European Championship in 2024. Gündogan’s future with Die Mannschaft was in severe doubt following the 2022 World Cup, as coach Hansi Flick oversaw an embarrassing exit in the group stages. A lot of players were left with egg on their faces but Gündogan in particular attracted a lot of criticism for his performances in this tournament.

Given these alleged poor performances and the fact that he will be 33 come the 2024 Euros, speculation was rife that the Manchester City player would perhaps retire from the international scene. But this report seems to contradict this speculation, as Sport Bild reports that while Gündogan has not yet made a final decision, he is very much leaning towards participating in the 2024 Euros. Given that Gündogan is one of three midfielders Flick relies on, the others being Bayern Munich duo Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, losing Gündogan could be a death blow to Germany’s depth in midfield.

In general, this is a time of much uncertainty for Gündogan, given his contract with Manchester City, his current employers, expires in a few months. It will be interesting to see what his fate, both at club and international level, will end up being.