THE NET MESUT OZIL? Ilkay Gundogan’s glowing comparison to Mesut Ozil has heightened the anticipation for Real Madrid star Arda Guler’s promising future at Los Blancos.

Ilkay Gundogan, a midfielder for Barcelona, said that Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler was a lot like Mesut Ozil.

Real Madrid bought Guler from Fenerbahce in the summer for €20m (£17m/$22m), plus up to €10m in add-ons. This was a lot more than his rumored €17.5m (£15m/$19m) release fee, which was paid to get him before Barcelona, who are bitter rivals. Another Real Madrid player, Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, has called the young player a future star. Now, Gundogan has compared him to Ozil, who used to be a fan favorite at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Gundogan told the Turkish news source AA SPOR, “Guler went to Real Madrid; he is a very good football player.” From what Rudiger and I talked about, he really likes Arda. He did have health problems, and he couldn’t start the season because of injuries. But he has a lot of skills. Ozil agreed too. This is the first name of a Turkish football player who looks a lot like Mesut Ozil. I think he will do well in life.

Guler hasn’t played for Real Madrid yet because he’s been hurt three times since moving there in the summer. Following surgery on his knee in August, he sustained a number of muscle injuries that have stopped him from playing competitively. If he were healthy, he would have been in the Turkish team for their upcoming games against Germany and Wales.