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Gabriel Jesus already looks like a star and is winning matches for Manchester City
Gabriel Jesus was one of the best young players in the world. So good, in fact, that Manchester City didn't just pay €32 million for him, but nobody was surprised they did it. That's the going price for a soon-to-be star.
And yet, despite the considerable hype, nobody expected Jesus to shine right away. He was a 19-year-old moving to a new country, and that culture shock has hampered more than one player. He was also taking a huge step up to the Premier League, had to adjust to Pep Guardiola's unique style of play and learn a whole new set of teammates. The Brazilian may have joined Manchester City in January, but this spring was really just going to be a warmup for next season.
Only nobody told Jesus that. He showed up in Manchester and by the end of the week had made his debut, coming off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur and immediately giving the Citizens a jolt. He was a danger and scored, only to have it ruled out for offside. But it was clear that Guardiola trusted him and wanted him to make an impact right away.
A week later, Jesus got his first start and he picked up an assist. He was again in the starting lineup in the following match and that's when he picked up his first goal, as well as an assist. Jesus was looking like a star and not down the road. He was pulling Manchester City along already.
Manchester City needed Jesus' help too. They'd fallen out of the top four and weren't getting enough from their attack to cancel out their massive midfield woes. In the two matches since adding Jesus to the starting lineup, they'd scored seven goals and won two matches. He was giving them what they needed.
That start paled in comparison to what we saw from Jesus on Sunday, though. Guardiola started the teenager over Sergio Aguero for a second straight match and Jesus didn't just keep his manager from looking like a fool -- he outright won the match for the Citizens.
It started in the 11th minute.
https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/828238693131431937
And that should have been enough, because Swansea are a pretty bad team and the Citizens were at home. But it wasn't because City couldn't find another goal and conceded late on.
So Jesus had to come to City's rescue again.
https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/828265297853378560
And with that, Manchester City jumped up to third place.
Remember, this is a 19-year-old who, a month ago, didn't even live in the country. He still doesn't speak the language and not even six months ago, he was with the Brazil U-23s at the Olympics. He's a kid, who was supposed to just be getting his feet wet with Manchester City.
Instead, he's replacing Sergio Aguero and making Guardiola look like a genius for doing so. With three Premier League starts under his belt, he has three goals and two assists. Three of Manchester City's points are owed entirely to him.
And he's still just figuring things out.
Jesus is only going to get better. If City wanted a new star, a legitimately global superstar, they may have their man in Jesus. This kid is something else.
