National player Ilkay Güdogan is not in the 26-man line-up of English champions Manchester City, who are flying to the USA to prepare for the new season. The reason could be problems with the American Corona entry regulations.
While the rest of the English champions’ stars leave for the USA for their preparation tour, Ilkay Gündogan has to stay in England. The club did not initially provide any information on the reason for not calling up the German international, who played in 27 Premier League games (8 goals) last season and was also vice-captain of the Himmelblauen. According to information from the American sports magazine “The Athletic”, however, the Corona entry regulations of the USA are the cause of the 31-year-old’s absence.
Following his first infection with the Corona virus in September 2020, Gündogan had his first vaccination last summer and was thus considered fully vaccinated – even in Germany. “I had pretty much all the symptoms. Starting with fever, scratchy throat, loss of taste. I had felt worse than I had ever felt before,” the former Nuremberg and Dortmund native recounted after his first illness.
A second vaccination for the trip to the USA was to follow this summer, but a renewed infection thwarted this plan. As reported by “The Athletic”, doctors subsequently advised against another vaccination before the three-month period expired. Without a second vaccination, however, entry into the USA is not possible under the current legal situation.
According to the magazine report, Gündogan will now fly to Croatia instead of the USA – to the U23 training camp to prepare for the new season.
