Fans have called out midfielder Ilkay Gundogan following Manchester City's 2-0 Premier League loss at Liverpool on Sunday (December 1). The German was unable to exert his influence in City's midfield in the injured Rodri's absence.Cody Gakpo opened the scoring for the Reds in the 12th minute after receiving a brilliant pass from Mohamed Salah as the hosts led at the break. With City struggling to muster a response, Salah converted a penalty in the 78th minute after being fouled by Stefan Ortega inside the box. In 58 minutes, Gundogan had a passing accuracy of 86% (32/37). He lost possession seven times and registered only 43 touches. Fans on X expressed their disappointment in the 34-year-old‘s performance, with one tweeting:"Gundogan is the problem...he doesn't deserve to start 😂😂😂if you don't see it you're blind and then bernado and walker have also been a**, but bernado 's can't be compared to walker or gundo and then pep keeps on dropping rubbish lineups.”"Gundogan is quite literally useless, cant defend, no attacking threat, no creativity, can’t press, can’t follow his man, slow, weak, 34 years old, Saudi pls come collect,” a fan added."We bought back Gundogan instead of looking for a better signing 😂😂,” another fan added."Laporta quickselling gundogan was his best decision yet as Barca president,” a fan opined."Manchester City will not win another game with Gundogan and Rico Lewis on the pitch,” another fan opined."Gundogan leave the game before the game leaves you (it's already left him),” wrote another.Gundogan has scored two goals and registered one assist in 18 games this season. Manchester City have dropped to fifth in the Premier League standings, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool after 13 games.Manchester City reportedly interested in signing Bruno GuimaraesNewcastle United midfielder Bruno GuimaraesManchester City are exploring the possibility of signing Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United in Januray, according to TBR Football (via Transfer News Live on X) as they continue to struggle in midfield in Rodri's absence.Guimaraes has been an outstanding ball-winning midfielder recently. This season,, he has won 88 ground duels and made 12 interceptions. He has also registered 26 tackles in 13 league games for the Magpies.In Rodri's absence, Guimaraes could bring stability to City's midfield as a makeshift defensive midfielde. His familiarity with the fast and demanding nature of the Premier League could be an added advantage. The 27-year-old, though, is contracted with Newcastle till 2028 and is valued at €85 million by Transfermarkt.