5 Manchester City players who have scored the most Premier League goals under Pep Guardiola
On Tuesday, Manchester City welcomed Leeds United for their Premier League matchday 17 clash at the Etihad Stadium. The English champions ran circles around the visitors and cruised to a massive 7-0 win, registering their joint-second biggest win in the Premier League.
Phil Foden’s opener against Leeds United also made Pep Guardiola a member of the uber-exclusive, Premier League 500-goal club. With the strike coming in Guardiola’s 207th Premier League match, the Spaniard has become the quickest manager to reach 500 in the league’s history.
Since taking charge of Manchester City in 2016, Pep Guardiola has had the good fortune of working with some world-class players. These players have pitched in plenty of goals and assists, helping City become an unstoppable force in the Premier League.
Here are the top-five Manchester City stars who have scored for fun under Pep Guardiola in the Premier League:
#5 Ilkay Gundogan - 31 goals
Ilkay Gundogan moved to Manchester City in 2016, following a successful spell with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund. He was Pep Guardiola’s first Manchester City signing and the German remains an invaluable part of the team.
Gundogan plays in the middle of the park and is responsible for maintaining the tempo for Manchester City. His distribution is impressive and he possesses sharp game-reading skills.
Although not necessarily known for his goals and assists, Gundogan is not shy of hitting the back of the net when an opportunity presents itself.
All in the detail 👁🗨
What's Pep telling Gundogan?
#UCL https://t.co/OCHHgXCEbK
Since 2016, Gundogan has featured in 142 Premier League games for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, registering 31 goals and 11 assists.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne - 39 goals
Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the most technically-gifted midfielder in world football right now. When fully fit, the Belgian attacking-midfielder can take apart any defense with his intricate passing and explosive right foot.
Pep Guardiola has always heaped praise on De Bruyne, rarely keeping him out of action when fit. The former Chelsea man has returned the favor by producing impressive performances in key matches, helping Manchester City to three Premier League titles.
Kevin de Bruyne in the first-half for Manchester City against Leeds:
◉ Most shots (5)
◉ Most take-ons completed (2)
◉ Joint-most chances created (3)
◉ Joint-most shots on target (2)
The king of the Etihad Stadium has returned. 👑 https://t.co/DfNSTp1S6y
Under Pep Guardiola, the Belgium international has taken part in 166 Premier League fixtures, netting 39 goals and registering 70 assists.
If he manages to keep himself fit for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign, Manchester City will have the upper hand in the title race.