Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will play in the Premier League with Manchester City next season

Ilkay Gundogan has become Pep Guardiola's first signing at Manchester City - but what will he bring to the Premier League?

The signing of 25-year-old midfielder Gundogan was announced on Thursday morning, on a four-year deal for a fee understood to be £21m.

Jurgen Klopp brought Gundogan to Dortmund

So with a move secured, what could we expect from Gundogan in England?

Factfile

Age: 25

Date of Birth: 24/10/1990

Nationality: German

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5ft 11in (180cm)

Weight: 12st 4lb (79kg)

Preferred Foot: Right

Climbing the ladder

Now one of Europe's premier midfielders, Gundogan worked his way to the top, serving apprenticeships in VfL Bochum's reserve team and FC Nurnberg.

In the fourth Bundesliga game of his career, a teenage Gundogan more than matched Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger, serving notice of his considerable potential.

Gundogan left Nurnberg for Dortmund in 2011

And with almost 50 league appearances under his belt before his 21st birthday, Dortmund's Klopp came calling. He initially struggled to replace Nuri Sahin, the Bundesliga Player of the season had departed for Real Madrid, and was briefly benched. "It was a tough time," he admitted. "Things hadn't gone as well as I had thought, and the coach was right to take me out of the team and protect me."

But the new recruit soon won back his place, slotting in alongside Shinji Kagawa, Mario Gotze and Kevin Grosskruetz, making 28 league appearances in his first campaign.

Dortmund success

With three goals and as many assists in that debut season, Gundogan, alongside team-mates Kagawa and Mats Hummels, was named in Kicker's Team of the Year.

Dortmund strolled to their fifth Bundesliga title and second in as many years, finishing eight points clear of rivals Bayern, with Gundogan the link as Klopp's core of young German players ran riot.

Injuries put Gundogan on ice

A league and cup double capped the perfect first campaign, and Dortmund nearly followed it up with a Champions League win the following season.

Gundogan's penalty threatened to send the Wembley final to extra-time before Arjen Robben struck late, and that disappointment was only compounded by a nightmare 2013/14.

Gundogan spent more than a year out with a back injury

The Germany midfielder was initially ruled out for two weeks after aggravating a back injury on international duty in August, but a spinal cord compression eventually kept him out for more than a year. It was a "huge blow" for the midfielder, and doubly cruel as Germany won the World Cup in his absence.

Back at club level, Dortmund struggled to find their fluency without Gundogan, leading Klopp to admit as much shortly before his return in late 2014: "The day he makes his comeback to action will be a great day for everyone."

He missed more than 80 games in all, only returning to first-team football that October as Dortmund finished a disappointing seventh in Klopp's final season in charge.

Gundogan could be on the move at the end of the season

So how would he fit in?

Well and truly back to his best this season, according to WhoScored, Gundogan has been one of the top 15 players in the German top flight.

Under new manager Thomas Tuchel, he's often deployed in a slightly deeper position, a move that partly explains his single league goal in the 2015/16 season. But the 25-year-old is keen to bring the ball forward, with 2.2 successful dribbles on average per game.

Gundogan is one of the best central midfield dribblers in Germany

Taking so many chances in possession requires trust from the manager, and despite the high number of dribbles, Gundogan is only dispossessed once per match on average. Aaron Ramsey, Ross Barkley and Dele Alli give it away at least twice.

He's never been prolific for club or country, but given the opportunity to stretch his legs Gundogan is a real threat in the opposition half.

His 87.8 per cent pass completion mark is among the best in the league, and he's effective going the other way too. He has averaged more than two interceptions per game in all competitions, a figure comparable with Victor Wanyama and Mark Noble.

His energetic style powered Dortmund's thrilling counter attacks under Klopp, a trait well suited to the fast-paced Premier League, and it's this ability to impress across key areas that stands him in good stead. A team with Gundogan very often dictates tempo and urgency, an underrated skill, but he's no gung-ho attacker.

Gundogan was back to his best for Dortmund last season

What they said...

"I think he is back to where he was two years ago," said Germany national team coach Joachim Low. "[He's] an extremely valuable player, he's very agile, he makes smooth runs, is quick on the turn and I'm very glad to have him as an option."

"Gundogan is willing to learn and is very smart," said then Dortmund manager Klopp in 2011. "He also brings a great attitude. Ilkay has a great passing game, is a complete player, and fits perfectly into our footballing system."

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