Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has admitted to Goal that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a key influence on his desire to become a manager.
Gundogan is the talk of the Premier League right now having hit eight goals in his last eight outings for Manchester City.
His brace against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening only furthered the campaign for him to become PFA Player of the Year this season having stepped up in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence.
The 30-year-old is in the middle of the best goalscoring campaign of his career, and he has been considered as one of Pep Guardiola’s smartest players.
That then begs the question; will Gundogan head into management at the end of his career?
Guardiola was a midfielder himself, and Gundogan may well think he can follow in the Spaniard’s footsteps in becoming a top manager.
Gundogan has now admitted that he has already asked for information on how to become a manager, even though it’s not in his immediate plans.
He added that he has three key influences over the course of his career, naming Guardiola, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and now-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as his three big influences.
“Some time ago, I asked around for some information on how the procedure would work if I were to take a trainer’s licence one day,” said Gundogan. “In that sense, it’s more than just a thought. But how I would like to orient myself then, my thoughts are not yet that far.”
“The fact is that with Pep, Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, I’ve had pretty much the best coaches in club football so far. You learn a lot and think about how you can pass on this knowledge after your career,” he added.
Liverpool and City may have had a burgeoning rivalry in recent times, but Gundogan has offered big praise to Klopp there, at a time when he may need it most given the Reds’ poor form.
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