By Rune Gjerulff @runegjerulff
At a press conference today, Hansi Flick announced that Ilkay Gündogan is Germany’s new captain.
Ilkay Gündogan. | Photo: Granada, CC-by-SA 4.0 |
FC Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gündogan has been named Germany’s new captain.
The decision was announced by Germany coach Hansi Flick at a press conference this aftenoon.
“We thought about it and decided to give the captain’s armband to Ilkay. He will form a leadership duo with Joshua Kimmich. This gives us new energy,” Flick said.
Asked what will happen to the captain’s armband when Manuel Neuer, who captained the team before his long-term injury, returns, Flick said:
“The situation with ‘Manu’ is like this: He has to get healthy first. We hope he’ll be back soon, but I’m not worried about that at the moment.”
Gündogan, 32, captained Manchester City last season before joining Barcelona in the summer.
“It is an honor for me to lead the young team as captain,” said the central midfielder.
“My experience with City last year shows that I can do the job.”