Gabriel Jesus has revealed not just the reason but the very moment he decided to leave Manchester City following a difficult decision by his manager, Pep Guardiola, which made him cry.
The Brazilian striker joined Man City back in January 2017 and was expected to become Sergio Aguero‘s successor for the long term, but after being somewhat of a rotation player for a number of seasons and being threatened with the imminent arrival of Erling Haaland, Jesus decided to call it a day.
Although many might have naturally assumed that Haaland’s transfer in June last year simply rendered him surplus to requirements, especially with prolific youngster Julian Alvarez waiting in the wings as well, the 26-year-old, his desire to leave apparently dates back to November 2021.
Speaking on The Denilson Show podcast, Jesus detailed how he was left out of the starting lineup for a crucial home game against PSG in the Champions League and even though City were in need of a man up front, he chose to play defender/utility midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko “as a false nine”.
Describing the decision by Guardiola as a “crazy thing”, the Arsenal number nine went on to explain how “the day before, [Pep] didn’t even use [Zinchenko] in training” and naturally assumed that he would be playing as striker with Aguero having already left and there being no other real attacking options.
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Nevertheless, “two hours before the game” and before the team had their pre-match meal, the striker was told he wouldn’t be starting and says he “didn’t even eat” after hearing the news.
“I went straight to the room, crying”, he said; “I called my mother to talk: ‘I want to leave.’ I’m going home, because he put [Zinchenko] on, and he didn’t put me on. He put a left-back there. I went crazy.”
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Despite eventually coming on in the second half to replace the Ukrainian and not only set up the equaliser but score the late winner, he said that even after the game Zinchenko — who has since also left the club for the same destination — joked with him and admitted, “That day I felt bad for you”.
Even after being subbed on and having a game-changing impact, the same happened in the next game against RB Leipzig, with Jesus adding, “There was a lot of that with him [Guardiola], and it’s not easy… it’s really hard”.
“That’s when I decided I didn’t want to stay anymore and I decided to leave”, said Jesus, who ultimately went on to join Pep’s protégé Mikel Arteta, reunited with Zinchenko and with the Gunners finishing as runners-up in the 2022/23 Premier League title race. Not a bad first season.
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He has described the move as a positive one that has left him feeling “free on the pitch”, remotivated and “playing football with a smile on [his] face” again, even despite an injury ruling him out for a large chunk of the season.
You can watch the full interview with subtitles down below:
Featured Image — Gabriel Jesus/Manchester City (via Instagram)
Sport
Ex-Man United man Louis Saha says Old Trafford’s deterioration shows a ‘lack of respect’ for the fans
Danny Jones
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has come to claim that the deterioration of Old Trafford is disrespectful to the fans.
The retired French forward, who represented the club 120 times and scored 42 goals during his time at the club between 2004-08, has come to the defence of the Man United faithful, insisting that the stadium is simply no longer up to the standard.
Speaking to Paddy Power earlier this week, the Red Devils old number nine said, “The state of Old Trafford shows a lack of respect to the supporters. They pay for tickets, create the atmosphere, and they need to have a better experience.
“The images of the roof leaking are ridiculous for those who are proud of the club, it’s unacceptable. It’s a bad sign that the investment has not been made in the right place at the right time.” In case you missed it, the Theatre of Dreams looked more like some kind of drowning nightmare after last week’s flooding.
“I’ve heard Gary Neville complain about it many times, and he’s been warning the club about it for a while”, Saha continued. “For it to get to that point, it was really embarrassing.
Flooding was just spotted in the stands but there were various reports and clips posted on social media showing interior leaks, including in the away dressing room.
The 45-year-old went on to say: “It’s symbolic, but it means a lot. For a fan that has paid so much for their membership and ticket, they haven’t been respected. It needs to be addressed – fans should not be seeing this.”
Fans have been complaining about various problems with Old Trafford‘s infrastructure for years now as despite being one of the most valuable football clubs in the world, Man United’s home ground and various other facilities are widely considered to be pretty outdated.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already intimated that he would rather build an entirely new stadium than renovate Old Trafford, especially since it has been estimated that it would cost more to repair and redevelop the existing structure than it would start from scratch.
There have also been plenty of mock-ups as to what a ‘New Trafford’ might look like should the prospective plans be greenlit. Mayor Andy Burham has already been appointed as part of the new stadium ‘taskforce’ and says it could prove to be the biggest regeneration scheme in the country.
Be it giving the iconic football stadium some much-needed TLC or providing the fans with an entirely new one, it’s fair to say the club can’t expect to return to their glory days by allowing Old Trafford to continue deteriorating and letting its legacy slip into squalor.
Featured Images — Web Summit (via Flickr)/Wikimedia Commons/The Manc Group
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Man City confirm Ederson will miss rest of the season following fractured eye socket
Danny Jones
Manchester City have revealed that goalkeeper Ederson will miss the final two games of the season after suffering a fractured eye socket following a hefty collision earlier this week.
City’s second-choice keeper Stefan Ortega was forced to come on and produce some heroics against Tottenham on Tuesday night after Ederson was on the receiving end of a forceful challenge from centre-back Cristian Romero, ultimately being hooked off despite trying to play on for a few more minutes.
The Brazilian number one was left visibly upset by the decision, thrashing his seat on the bench and planting his head in his hands following the understandably cautious substitution, but it proved to be the right move the club has now confirmed a bone-break around his eye.
With manager Pep Guardiola having already to press after the game that Ederson has a “problem with his eye” and “could not see” properly, the club have now confirmed that he will now be out for the rest of the season.
As detailed in the update, scans revealed a “small fracture” of his right eye socket and being struck by the leg and hip of the Spurs defender.
It was clear that all was not well in the immediate aftermath of the two players clashing as the 30-year-old was left lying on the floor for some time and medical staff were rushed over.
Although concussion was ultimately ruled out and only the fracture has been confirmed, Ederson did go on to slip with his first kick of the ball and was seen shaking his head as if to shrug off the impact in the following moments.
He was also pictured with a very noticeable black eye following the full-time whistle.
This obviously means that in addition to missing Man City’s last Premier League game of the season against West Ham this weekend, where they might very well lift their fourth consecutive title, he will also miss the FA Cup final against Man United.
With it being just the second Manchester derby cup final in history, a second in a row as it happens, he, the team and the fans will obviously be gutted to be without their go-to shot-stopper.
Nevertheless, it’s a relief to see his safety being prioritised not only during the same on Tuesday night but in the days since and if there’s one thing it proved it’s that Ortega is more than capable of filling in for him when needed.
As any fan would following a scary injury like that, we join the club in wishing him a speedy recovery.