Ilkay Gundogan is enduring a miserable start to life at Galatasaray. The former Germany captain has seen his role shrink to just 11 minutes of action all season, and the pressure is mounting on the veteran to deliver what Turkey's champions bargained for.
He never left the bench during the 3-1 win over Kasimpasa. Asked afterwards whether he was ready to face Barcelona, his former club, in the Champions League, Gundogan made his frustration plain: "I'm not playing, so why would I be ready?".
Two matches. That is all the German midfielder has managed since arriving, with coach Okan Buruk preferring Lucas Torreira and Gabriel Sara in the middle. Torreira's sending-off, though, could hand Gundogan a fresh chance to stake his claim against Genclerbirligi, according to German newspaper "Bild".
That clash with Barcelona carries extra weight. Gundogan wore their shirt during the 2023-2024 season before returning to Manchester City and then joining Galatasaray on a free transfer in the summer of 2025. His arrival in Istanbul came laden with expectation, yet this stuttering start has thrown his future and his role into doubt.
His struggles have reignited old dreams back in Nuremberg, where supporters would love to reclaim one of the biggest names ever to pull on the club's shirt. Gundogan launched his career with them in 2009, and the idea of a homecoming has lingered in fan conversation for years.
The player himself has left that door ajar. Speaking to "Sky", he said: "I can certainly imagine returning, in any role; whether for one or two more years as a player, or perhaps in an administrative position or as a coach. I don't know, everything is possible".
Caught between a bench role at Galatasaray and the hope of facing Barcelona, Gundogan may yet find his way back to the club where it all began. Should his current circumstances drag on, that possibility could become reality.