Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has talked up the influence of two teammates on their stunning winning run.

Gundogan, 30, has grabbed plenty of headlines after an incredible run of 11 goals in 12 Premier League games.

But he says: "Fernandinho is our captain, he is leading us, he is there when we need him. His performance vs Arsenal was incredible.

"Even when he is on the bench, he is always there for us, he supports us, the way he speaks to us. He is a real leader, we really need him and we are very happy to have him. He just gives us the right things at the right time. He knows when to speak up, when to be quiet and what to do.

"But also not just Fernandinho, someone like Benjamin Mendy comes to mind. He struggled with injuries but he knows what to do best to help the team. No egos at all. That is the only way to win and achieve great things.

"At the moment everything seems balanced so well, not only the players on the pitch who shine but those on the bench or also those who are not travelling, just training with us. The young lads who are training with us.

"Today we had so many young players who probably didn't even touch the ball because we trained some buildup but they are running behind us, trying to make us feel like we need to put on our best even in training sessions to be prepared as good as possible for the games. That's very important."