It really has been a whirlwind of an introduction to life in the Premier League for Gabriel Jesus.
Moments after coming off the bench for his debut against Tottenham two weeks ago, he looked to have given Manchester City the lead late on, only to see his goal ruled out for offside.
Undeterred, the 19-year-old Brazilian was handed his first start in the FA Cup win at Crystal Palace, before really stepping up to the plate in the midweek rout of West Ham. Sergio Aguero came on late in the day and looked a shadow of the vibrant youngster he’d deposed at the tip of City’s attack.
Signed very much for the future, Jesus appears more of a weapon in the here and now than burgeoning talent, and exudes all the qualities Pep Guardiola looks for in an attacking focal point - there’s a new kid with a celestial name in town, and Aguero’s divine right to a starting berth has disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Too early?
It may be premature to suggest Jesus is even in the running to be the heir to Aguero’s throne, but what will give Aguero food for thought most is the realisation that Guardiola is his own man, moulds teams in his style, instils his philosophy, and is not afraid to sacrifice big names in order to get things just right. Ask Joe Hart.
In the aftermath of Jesus’s superb showing at London Stadium on Wednesday night, where he came away with one sublime assist and a goal for himself, Guardiola was not shy in lavishing the youngster with praise.
“He’s a young talent,” Guardiola eulogised in his post-match press conference. “But he has a huge mentality. He’s so aggressive. He wants to become a good player. He has dreams and he has things he wants to do in the future in his career. That helps a lot. He wants to do something in the world of football and, of course, we are going to try to help him get it for us.”
When Guardiola doesn’t feel the media are trying to prize criticism of referees or his team out of him, he can talk at length about anything he feels positive about, and such bold talk of Jesus’ aspirations of reaching the very top of the game, weeks after his debut, shows just how much potential Guardiola sees in his new signing.
The Catalan’s broken English means that sometimes much of what he comes out with becomes incoherent conjecture, but when asked about Jesus’s performance, the former Barcelona boss couldn’t have been more eloquent.
Jesus is just the type of player Guardiola loves. He drops deep to constantly look for passes to keep the football flowing, he is strong, battles readily, all while possessing the fleet-footed ability to cause defenders to have nightmares. Lionel Messi anyone?
A new age at Manchester City
A vivacious new attacking weapon is exactly what City needed as they toiled to keep up with the top four.
City’s ageing squad has been exposed countless times this season, which has in-turn made the project that Guardiola has undertaken seem all the more difficult. However, as is with the assignments Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp have embarked upon with their respective clubs, it will take time for Guardiola to get it right, and if the Spurs and Liverpool bosses have been granted time with which to work their magic, so should Guardiola.
Against the Hammers on Wednesday, a strikeforce of Raheem Sterling (22), Leroy Sane (21) and Jesus brought that average right down, leaving West Ham’s defenders seeing stars, and gave us a glimpse into the future on the blue half of Manchester.
Jesus’s energy and the relationship he already seems to be building with Sane and Sterling could actually rejuvenate Aguero, who has never faced such competition for his starting berth since arriving on British shores in 2011.
A dip in form for Aguero?
Aguero has scored just seven times in his last 19 appearances in all competitions - profligacy rarely associated with the 28-year-old.
Real Madrid have again been linked with a summer move, with Jesus’ form adding fuel to the fire, but Aguero has often stated his desire to stay at City until he returns to his homeland to see out the remainder of his career.
The problem may be that he’ll find it hard to re-convince Guardiola, head over heels with his new Brazilian arrival, that he can be the focal point once more. The initial signs are ominous.
“You never know,” Guardiola continued, without encouragement. “It’s like a watermelon. You have to open and see what is in inside. Of course, he is young. We can forget that he is only 19-years-old. But he is the striker for Brazil.”
With four international goals to his name, Jesus is no stranger to the grander stages, and if he carries on winning over his manager, he might have to get used to be the main attraction.
Also read: 5 best signings in the 2017 winter transfer window
