Ilkay Gundogan forced to spend time in hospital to end 2023 after bizarre incident

Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan was forced to spend time in hospital to close out 2023 after suffering a bizarre injury in the gym.

The Germany midfielder has quickly adapted to life in Spain after leaving Manchester City last summer, with the 33-year-old putting in a series of star performances for Xavi's side.

The goals haven't yet been flowing compared to his time at City, but Gundogan has provided six assists in all competitions to add to his two strikes.

But while 2023 on the pitch was a huge success for Gundogan, as he won the treble for the first time with City, the year didn't exactly end on the most positive note for the midfielder.

After an open training session at the club's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground on Saturday, the 33-year-old was among the players that returned to the gym for a session.

But the session ended in agony for Gundogan, as he reportedly hit himself on the head with one of the weights.

Cue a trip to hospital, with his wife Sara posting a photo to her Instagram story which showed the midfielder receiving some stitches.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the accident caused a cut and subsequent bleeding, which necessitated the hospital trip.

Thankfully though, it is added, the 'injury' was only minor, and he is expected to be fully fit to take on Las Palmas on Thursday.

He will hope to guide Barcelona to a better 2024 in La Liga, as despite Xavi's side winning the title last season, they are currently seven points behind leaders Real Madrid after 18 games.

And in October, after a 2-1 El Clasico defeat to Real, Gundogan showcased the winning mentality he developed at City in a post-match interview.

"There has to be more emotion [after losing], especially when you lose and you know you can perform better and do better in certain situations, and you just don't react. This just transfers to the pitch at the end of the day," he told reporters.

"We need to make a huge step in that otherwise Real Madrid, or even Girona, is going to run away.

"I didn't come here to lose these types of games or to let that gap create. There's also a responsibility from myself, from a more experienced player, to not allow the squad to just let things happen, we need resistance."