Fernandinho has backed Gabriel Jesus to be a striking sensation on the world stage for years to come – having helped persuade him to reject Barcelona and Real Madrid for Manchester City.
The 19-year-old striker has become an instant hero at the Etihad, scoring three times in three games, following his £27 million arrival from Palmeiras last month.
His stunning exploits, which have seen Sergio Aguero relegated to the bench, came as no surprise to City and Brazil team-mate Fernandinho. Having witnessed the teenager’s quality and confidence at international level – where Jesus has four goals in six appearances – the midfielder revealed he offered advice when it came to deciding his future.
“I just asked him to choose City, to come,” said Fernandinho, a big hit himself at City since a £30m move from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013. “I talked to him and was honest with him. A lot of big teams wanted to sign him, especially Barcelona and Real Madrid, and I told him, ‘look, you can take the team sheets of Barcelona and Madrid and see what player of 19 years old plays there in the starting 11?’”
“But you have Pep here at City and he loves to have young players in the team, to give this opportunity for young players and you will have the opportunity to play here. Maybe not in the starting 11 all the time, but to come on in the second half. He made his choice. I just talked to him as a friend.”
And Fernandinho is delighted at the start made by his friend.
“I’m not surprised because I knew him before he came to City, I played with him in the national team, I knew his quality,” he added.“I’m happy for him, he’s only been here a month and started to play very well. His performances show how good he is.”
How much better Jesus becomes remains to be seen, but already there are comparisons with compatriot Neymar Jr. Fernandinho, 31, believes he can shine like the Barca star, but added: “I think we just need to keep calm. Remember Gabriel is just 19 and at that age you have to be calm because things come so quickly it seems. But I expect him to improve a bit more.
“He’s in Europe just one month and it’s so so early to talk about comparisons, but for the next five, six, seven years he is going to be one of the best strikers in Europe for sure. He has that same quality.”
“He has already shown he can cope with the pressure. When you play as a number nine in the Brazilian national team, one of the most prestigious national teams in the world, one of the most prestigious positions, then you know you have something good.”
“I’m happy for him and hope he can keep that level and try to play the best football he can.”
After scoring both goals in the 2-1 win over Swansea that took City third in the Premier League, boss Pep Guardiola said Jesus had provided “joy” with his displays.
And a level-headed approach will be a factor too in his future progress as Fernandinho, whose side visit Bournemouth next on Monday, said: “His personality is like that, calm.
“He is clever also, intelligent and always wanting to learn and this is one of the most important things, to be a good person and consequently a good player.”
“That’s the best way to be a good player, not to put so much pressure on himself, but to play free as he was playing with his friends when he was 12, 13 years old. That’s how he plays. To play in attack is also easier than to play in defence or centre midfield, but to score goals as he is doing is good and I hope he can keep doing that.”
