Noel Gallagher's three-word WhatsApp message to Ilkay Gundogan after Man City ace called Pep Guardiola about Etihad return

A year after Gundogan left City to join Barcelona in a free transfer, the Germany international contacted Pep Guardiola to enquire about making a shock return at the end of the summer transfer window. Reports of a possible transfer generated a great deal of excitement among the club's fans.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said of his call to the coach: "When I was sure it would be amazing to come back, I spoke with Pep. I called him and asked him if he could imagine it. Not out of nothing. I had thought about it. it was something I personally wanted to do and I didn’t have much to lose, you know?

"I was a bit nervous beforehand but it was a nice call. Obviously my relationship with Pep was always good. Even though I was in Barcelona last year we had a few phone calls between each other. We actually also met there once.

"There is no reason to hide that we have a good connection but at the end you never know how people will react or what they think about certain situations. So when I mentioned it and I got a great response, I was relieved. It was something that maybe I didn’t quite expect in that moment. He said had it been up to him it would have been done tomorrow."

Among the excited City fans was music legend Gallagher, who sent a message to Gundogan on WhatsApp that read: "Come home, brother".

Since Gundogan's return, Oasis have reunited and have announced they will go on tour next year. The veteran midfielder laughed off suggestions he had any role in their return, saying: "No I am quite sure that wasn’t me. Maybe that one will follow me around but there are worse stories to have so I am OK with it. Noel did send me a nice message actually, a really nice one when I left last year. And yeah, he also did when I came back so it was good. I haven’t got any tickets for the concerts yet, by the way, so please don’t ask me…"

Gundogan will aim to help City maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign when they face main title rivals Arsenal on Sunday. City have 12 points from four matches, while the Gunners are two points behind.