"It was a tough experience, but also a wonderful one" - Gundogan opens about about Barca spell

Ilkay Gundogan is back at the Etihad Stadium. With Kevin de Bruyne likely to be sidelined, the German could be in the starting line-up for the all-important game against Arsenal this weekend. Ahead of that, the player opened up about his departure to Barcelona and his return.

"I had a good time there. Apart from anything else, I played for one of the biggest teams in the world. I fulfilled one of my childhood dreams: to play for Barca and wear that crest," he told the 'Daily Mail'.

Gundogan was keen to highlight Barcelona's year: "Maybe people look at last season and think we didn't win anything. That's true, but if you look at our performance, at the end of the season we had 85 points, only three points less than the year before when we won La Liga. We were playing against a very difficult Real Madrid".

"I feel privileged to have played for Barcelona. In other circumstances maybe things would have been different. It was a tough experience but also a wonderful one. I don't regret it at all," said the German.

On his return to Manchester City, he said: "When I was sure I wanted to come back, I spoke to Pep. I called him and asked him if he could imagine it. It was something I personally wanted to do and I didn't have much to lose. I was a bit nervous, but it was a nice call. Obviously, my relationship with Pep was always good."

"There is no reason to hide that we have a good relationship, but in the end you never know how people will react or what they will think in certain situations. So when I mentioned it and got a positive response, I was relieved. It was something I may not have expected at the time," he argued.