Ilkay Gundogan heaped praise on teammate Ferran Torres, after the Spaniard’s third goal in as many Champions League games helped Manchester City through their striking crisis.
With Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus sidelined through injury, Torres has been deployed as a false nine and his goals have helped City to a perfect start in Europe, with three wins from their opening three games to stand on the brink of qualification.
Jesus made his comeback from injury in the second half of Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Olympiacos and doubled the lead with a thumping finish after Torres had opened the scoring.
The Brazilian’s return could mean the end of Torres’ time through the middle, but Gundogan was quick to highlight his worth.
"It was another great goal and we're happy to have a player like that, particularly with Aguero out for another little while," Gundogan said. "Jesus made his comeback tonight, but Torres has certainly shown his value to the team."
Next up for City is a crunch Premier League meeting with Liverpool, with Pep Guardiola’s side already five points behind the defending champions as they look to reclaim the title.
"We've had a good three games, nine points,” Guardiola told BT Sport. “We need three more points or one more point to qualify. We have five days to recover for Liverpool and then the international break.
"The forecast in the next three days says it will be sunny in Manchester. It's rare. We're going to have tomorrow off. After that on Friday and Saturday we'll prepare for the Liverpool game. But the players need a break."
