Manchester City are a club firmly on the up, not just domestically, but on the European stage also. Pep Guardiola’s arrival has resulted in a remarkable upward trajectory for the club and the well documented style of play he’s instilled left many experts hailing City as one of the greatest sides ever to grace the Premier League last season.
With Pep’s obvious credentials and ideas, comes a huge amount of pressure and incredibly high demands from one of the best coaches ever. The Spaniard is hands on, loves to improve players by passing on advice and he expects those around him to show unwavering support in his philosophy and a determination to improve.
One of those players who will be keen to step further forward and make more of a name for themselves in a Manchester City shirt this season is Brazilian hotshot, Gabriel Jesus.
The former Palmeiras player of the season and €32million signing has, on the whole, only really shown it in spells during his stint in England so far. After joining in 2017, Jesus has helped secure the Premier League title and EFL Cup with the club but he’s also suffered somewhat of a fairly stop-start career too, mainly due to injuries and a failure to dislodge club legend Sergio Aguero from the central striker’s role.
Aguero himself has had injuries in his career which meant we saw Jesus deputise for the Argentina star at times last season, but on the whole Guardiola seemed to rotate between the two when both were fit and available or opt for club talisman Aguero ahead of the Brazil youngster.
When selected, it could be argued that Jesus simply didn’t show enough on occasions and the physicality and intensity of English football is something he just simply didn’t adapt to on the whole last season. Thirty-nine appearances and a return of 20 goals during his stay in England to date suggests otherwise in terms of his record, which is very impressive, but the fact he seems to get injured a fair bit and drifts in and out of games, especially against physical opposition, means he can still offer a whole lot more to the City cause.
With Aguero’s future seemingly ticking down after endless comments suggesting he’ll return to Argentina one day, Jesus is a player who could be at the club for the long haul and is certain to be part of the club’s future. He’s young, hungry and ahead of the new Premier League campaign, will be desperate to impress again after a forgettable World Cup with Brazil.
Jesus needs a run of games and, most importantly of all, he needs to stay fit and keep knocking on the opportunity to cement a place in the starting XI. Odds on him finishing top scorer in the league at 12/1 (bet365) represent fantastic value with all things considered. Of course, the usual contenders are up there, with Aguero himself being priced at a tempting 9/1 but should the ageing Argentinian pick up an injury or two, then Jesus will be ready and waiting. Jesus could even start ahead of Aguero at times also.
City are strong favorites to win the league at 4/6 but to get the best bookie offers out there you have to do a bit of digging. Jesus as top scorer is certainly worth considering, although Harry Kane at 5/2 is still the one to beat for that particular crown.
This is a crucial season for Gabriel Jesus and his Manchester City career. With the ability he possesses, we could be about to see the best of the 21 year-old as he adapts further to life in England.
