Patrick Rees
From the 2016-17 season, the Old Trafford crowd will be experiencing a completely different Manchester United side. The arrival of the Portuguese magician Jose Mourinho has cheered the entire fan following and the fans would be hoping to see Manchester United returning back to the winning ways.
It seems like Jose Mourinho has already started working on the United’s task as he has completed the signing of the Ivorian defender Eric Bailly. Besides the defender, it is expected that he will complete the deal for the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic soon.
The big Swede will surely be a great addition to the squad, but besides that, there are still many holes in the current United squad that needs to be considered. Now, according to recent reports, Manchester United are chasing 19-year-old Brazilian centre-forward Gabriel Jesus. It is also reported that Manchester United are not the only side in the race for the signature, but the teams like Manchester City, Juventus and Barcelona are also in the hunt for the top talent.
Who is Gabriel Jesus?
The 19-year-old Brazilian started his footballing career in 2013 when he signed a youth contract with the Brazilian club Palmeiras. He ended his campaign scoring 54 goals in 48 matches and in January 2013, he signed his first professional contract by signing a three-year deal with Palmeiras.
He represented his side in U-17s and scored 37 goals in 22 games in 2014. His first senior appearance came after almost a year, i.e, in 2015. Gabriel Jesus finished the campaign with four goals from 20 games, and his team defeated Santos to win the cup.
In the following season, he made limited appearances, but the 19-year-old did what was expected. Overall, he made just 23 appearances in all competition for the side and scored 13 goals. Gabriel has represented Brazil in U-20 and U-23 levels and has scored 8 goals in 10 appearances (both combined).
Style of Play-
During his time at Palmeiras, he has been used as a striker as well as a winger, usually left. The 19-year-old is a typical Brazilian breed as he loves to cut inside the half from the flanks to take a shot from distance. He is a complete work horse and is known for his work rate on the field. Besides that, he loves to dribble the ball in style and he usually combines it with his blistering pace to beat the defenders.
Due to his industrious work rate, he is capable of pressing the opponents in their own half and usually wins the ball back to launch a counter. His major weapon is his speed with which he haunts the opponents in style.
It is reported that Manchester United are currently interested in signing the player, but is he worth a United contract?
Well, his primary weakness is his physical built. He is not the strongest players on the pitch and besides that, being at 5’8; he is not at all a threat when crosses are launched into the box. Manchester United already have Marcus Rashford at their disposal who is physically strong, aerially pretty good. Buying a teenager is always worth a risk, the major problem with Gabriel would be; he cannot be trusted in the big games and that might leave the club frustrated.
