"The amount of work he puts in is unbelievable" - Ilkay Gundogan names 'incredible' Chelsea star as his toughest opponent

Ilkay Gunogan has named Chelsea superstar N'Golo Kante as the toughest player he has played against. The Manchester City midfielder also hailed the Frenchman as 'incredible'.

Before joining Manchester City, Gundogan used to ply his trade for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. The 31-year-old is a regular for the German national team, currently managed by Hansi Flick.

Having played for Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Germany, Gundogan has played against the best footballers across the world. The midfielder has gone up against the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah.

However, Gundogan has named Chelsea workhorse Kante as the toughest player he has played against. The Germany international is an admirer of the midfielder's work rate, which he feels makes the Frenchman a difficult player to play against.

Gundogan also hailed the former Leicester City star as incredible, while labeling his work rate as 'unbelievable'. He said:

"If I need to compare position-wise, someone who plays in midfield, probably someone like N’Golo Kante, just the fact that you know you pass him and you feel like he cannot come back anymore. And then a couple of seconds later when you think you have a bit of space and time, he’s there. He’s incredible, the amount of work that he puts into the game, it’s just unbelievable."

Kante has been an integral part of the Chelsea team since joining them from Leicester, who helped win the Premier League in the 2015-16 season.

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Ilkay Gundogan faced Chelsea's N'Golo Kante in the Champions League final

Ilkay Gundogan joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016, the same year N'Golo Kante signed for Chelsea. Since then, the Germany international has faced the midfielder ten times across all competitions.

However, the biggest clash between them was perhaps last season's Champions League final. Chelsea and Manchester City locked horns with each other in Portugal back in May.

Gundogan was on the losing side as Thomas Tuchel's side earned a 1-0 victory over Manchester City. Pep Guardiola and co. had to settle for the runners-up medal that night.

Manchester City have won five of the ten games in which Gundogan faced Kante, while Chelsea have earned the same number of victories. It remains to be seen who will have the upper hand when the sides face each other in the Premier League in January.

Gundogan will be looking to help Manchester City retain their title, while Kante and Chelsea will look to win their first league crown since 2016-17.