Kevin De Bruyne has heaped praise on the 'amazing' Ilkay Gundogan and pinpointed what makes him so vital to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side have kicked off their Premier League title defence with two consecutive victories.
After pushing West Ham to one side last weekend, City thrashed AFC Bournemouth 4-0 in front of an adoring Etihad Stadium faithful.
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Ilkay Gundogan got the Blues off to a perfect start, finishing a neat one-two with Erling Haaland on the edge of the box with a sweet half-volley.
One quickly became two when De Bruyne produced a stunning solo run and outside-of-the-boot finish past the helpless Mark Travers.
Stockport-born Phil Foden made it three just before the break with the help of a deflection - opening his account for the season.
Joao Cancelo caused the last goal; twisting and turning before cannoning the ball off Jefferson Lerma inside the six-yard box to squirt home.
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After the game, De Bruyne was speaking to the club's official website on a number of topics.
Included in that chat was a question about Gundogan, who has only one-year left on his current City contract.
"He's amazing," the Belgian said.
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"I think he understands perfectly the rhythm. I think he's got that moment where he turns up in the box and it's very dangerous. He scores a lot and the one-two with Erling [Haaland] started the game off..."
"I’ve been playing for six years with him at Manchester City and he has been incredible in that period of time."
Such high praise from the 31-year-old is not without merit.
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Gundogan has become such a crucial member of Guardiola's squad and is usually a go-to man in the biggest games for the Catalan.
He has produced so many iconic moments, but last season's iconic brace against Aston Villa will live long in the memory of every City fan.
Even in Europe, Gundogan scored two against Barcelona in a thrilling 3-1 victory at the Etihad in 2016.
The German is clearly well-liked amongst the dressing room too and was voted permanent club captain over the weekend.
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He is part of a five-man leadership group that includes vice-captain, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Rodri.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Bournemouth, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan
Harry Siddall