Search icon

Sport

11th Feb 2017

Paul Merson thinks Gabriel Jesus would be playing elsewhere if he truly was a ‘top player’

'Man City are not Man United. Let's be honest."

Simon Lloyd

It’s still early days as far as Gabriel Jesus’ Manchester City career is concerned.

That said, we’ve seen enough already to suggest that, at just 19, the Brazilian is a bit good.

Four appearances for his new club have yielded three goals, and he’s already done enough since touching down in Manchester to convince Pep Guardiola he’s worthy of a starting place ahead of Sergio Agüero – one of the finest strikers the Premier League has ever seen.

But still, not everyone’s convinced he’s all that. Isn’t that right, Paul Merson?

Chatting to Jeff Stelling ahead of Saturday afternoon’s 3 o’clock kick-offs, Merse appeared less sure that Jesus was destined for great things in the Premier League.

To begin with, he suggests that if he really was a ‘top player’, he’d be plying his trade at either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

With Stelling pointing out that City are now one of the biggest and wealthiest sides in European football, Merson concedes that it’s “not a bad move” for the former Palmeiras forward. Not that Merson was about to change his tune completely, however. In the same breath, he goes on to imply that that a move to City was a step down from a move to the other club in Manchester…

At least Merse might have won a few friends in the red half of Manchester.

Catch up with this week’s episode of 888sport Football Friday Live