'One of the worst games I've ever seen him play' – Pep Guardiola gives brutally honest verdict on Ilkay Gundogan's Newcastle display and praises Man City star's response against Slovan Bratislava

The German midfielder, who returned to Etihad this summer after spending just one season at Barcelona, opened the scoring in Manchester City's incredible 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday. With the win, City extended their unbeaten run in the Champions League to 25 matches thereby matching arch-rivals Manchester United's record which they achieved between 2007 and 2009.

After his team's dominant performance away from home, manager Pep Guardiola spoke highly of Gundogan's performance while claiming that the 33-year-old recovered well after a below-par performance against Newcastle United last weekend where the Cityzens were held to a 1-1 draw.

Speaking to reporters, the 53-year-old manager said, "Yeah today he played at the level that we know he can do it, he has a strong mentality, the game against Newcastle was not really, really good, one of the worst I’ve ever seen from him in the past eight or nine years, but it happens.

"It’s rhythm, it’s why he needs to play. In his position, holding midfielder, he is so intelligent and apart from his goal he made a fantastic game."

The reigning English champions will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they are all set to host Fulham.