Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has delivered a glowing verdict of Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz after being asked whether he could become the best player in the world.
Havertz has hit a rich patch of form, scoring the winner in the Club World Cup final before impressing against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
He has become a fixture in Thomas Tuchel's side of late, becoming his compatriot's first choice to lead the line ahead of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
After scoring twice against Burnley on Saturday, Tuchel piled the praise on the 22-year-old, saying it has become difficult to leave him out of the starting XI.
"Of course, it is what it is in the moment. The players put themselves on the pitch with performances in training and matches," he said.
"He gives a lot of intensity, he’s involved in goals and he scored again, so it’s a very good moment and it’s on him to keep on going.
"This is how it is. We played the last cup match without him, Timo was very strong and was very close to starting today, Romelu got his goal and we will need everybody, but at the moment Kai is in a very good shape."
Speaking to the UMM YouTube channel, Gundogan was asked a series of questions about some of his teammates, for both Manchester City and Germany.
Havertz and Gundogan are both regulars in Hansi Flick's side and will likely both line up together at the 2022 World Cup.
When asked whether the Chelsea ace could become the best player in the world, Gundogan did not give a solid answer but hinted that it was a possibility.
"He definitely has a lot of potential. He’s still so young but has played so many games, whether it’s in Germany or in England," he said.
"He’s won a lot already, he won the Champions League last year against us, so that’s obviously a really big thing. He can really get better and better, he’s a great guy, very down to earth.
"On the pitch, he’s very relaxed, smooth you know, he doesn’t really show nerves, which can be a really good thing. He still has a way to go but he’s already done a lot to show his potential and his qualities."
