Will Ilkay Gundogan play for Manchester City against Ipswich?

Ilkay Gundogan could make his much-awaited Manchester City return on Saturday when the Premier League champions face Ipswich Town.

The midfielder rejoined City on Friday, signing on a free from Barcelona a year after he left the Blues. The transfer was confirmed just over 24 hours before City take on Ipswich in the Premier League, and speaking ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola admitted he was not entirely sure whether the player would be available for the first home game of the new season.

But with Gundogan’s international clearance granted a little over an hour after the press conference, the German is an option against Kieran McKenna’s side and could be welcomed back by City fans at the Etihad.

The 33-year-old has had a truncated pre-season due to his involvement at the Euros, but Guardiola said the summer signing was in good shape ahead of his first training back with the team.

“Yesterday was medical and commercial and City TV,” the City boss explained. “He spoke to [fitness coach] Loren [Buenaventura] and said he is fine. 

“The medical tests was brilliant and he is skinny. I think he is fit and I don’t think we have many players so maybe he will be in the squad and after we will see. Today he will train with us and we will see, smell how he feels.”

Gundogan’s arrival helps City address their dearth of midfield options, with Guardiola admitting last week that the club could enter the market to add reinforcements in that area. In particular, the lack of back-up for Rodri has been an issue at the base of midfield.

Despite Gundogan rarely playing in that role during his final season in Manchester, Guardiola claimed it’s a position he could be deployed in this campaign.

“He can play in the same position as Rodri, like Kova [Mateo Kovacic], like Nico [O’Reilly], like Matheus [Nunes], and John [Stones] and Manu [Akanji] can play alongside another one in the positions.

“He [Gundogan] is a player who can play in different roles. He’s not defined as a football player. He’s a football player and he understands what you have to do to play in different positions.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola said Gundogan’s arrival does not change his plans for young midfielders O’Reilly and James McAtee, who will remain with the first-team squad this season.

“Everyone stays here. We don’t have that deep a squad, 19, 20, 21 players. Now the situation with Oscar [Bobb] out until December or January, nothing changed. Everyone has to fight.”