Ilkay Gundogan told he has ‘fallen from the sky’ to Barcelona as Xavi showers angelic praise on former Man City midfielder

The German has had a solid start to life at Barca, scoring three goals and bagging twice as many assists in 25 matches. Ahead of their Copa del Rey trip to Barbastro later today (Sunday, January 7), Xavi has heaped praise on the 33-year-old summer signing.

The manager said on the veteran, who signed for Blaugrana last June on a two-year deal after seven seasons at Manchester City: “Ilkay is contributing a lot to us. The other day he made the difference in a difficult moment. He is a player who marks the personality of the team. He is always positive. He has fallen from the sky for us.”

Gundogan is beginning to really make his mark at the Spanish giants, with the former City star, who won the treble last season, scoring a late winner against Las Palmas this week to secure his side all three points and keep their La Liga title hopes alive. While Barca are not having their best season, as they sit third in the division and are seven points behind rivals and league leaders Real Madrid, Gundogan is sure to be an important figure going forward for Xavi's side.

After tonight's game against Barbastro, who play in the fourth tier of Spanish football, they take on Osasuna in their Supercopa de Espana semi-final on Thursday, January 11. They then have a sizeable break before returning to La Liga action away to Real Betis on January 21.