Gary Neville has stated that Brazil international Gabriel Jesus has made ’the team better’ as he defended the Arsenal striker’s goalscoring record amid criticism, as he told Sky Sports.
It has been suggested by Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that Arsenal’s big summer signing isn’t capable of hitting 25 goals, but Neville made it clear that, during his days at Manchester United, they won Premier League titles ‘without having players that scored that many goals’.
After 14 Premier League games this season, Jesus has five goals to his name and he last scored in the league when Mikel Arteta’s side dispatched their north London rivals Tottenham in October.
It needs to be noted that he also has six assists to his name – only Manchester City’s pinball machine Kevin de Bruyne has more (9).
But whilst some look at Jesus’ numbers, Neville was quick to defend the Brazil World Cup star and how he does a lot more for the team.
“I think after the game Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said that ‘Jesus isn’t going to score 24, 25 goals,” said Neville.
“We won titles quite a few times at Man United without having players that scored that many goals. That wasn’t a barometer of winning a title, I didn’t think, having a player that can score 25 goals.
“Sometimes it happened, don’t get me wrong. We had a (Ruud) van Nistelrooy or a (Dwight) Yorke one season or a (Andy) Cole. That happened. And Rooney sometimes did. But sometimes, you didn’t even get past 15 goals.
“But the team was better. What Jesus has done upfront is that he’s made the team better. They are fantastic really in all departments, Arsenal.”
JESUS IS MORE THAN JUST A GOALSCORER
The Brazil international scarifies a lot of his penalty-box game in order to make those around him tick.
Whether the £45 million star (BBC Sport) is dragging opposition players out of position, making room for teammates or proving to be that extra man in midfield, those around Jesus will score more as a result of his presence and quick-thinking ability.
At the end of the day, all that matters for Arsenal fans is their team sitting at the top of the Premier League table, not Jesus being the top scorer.
Jesus is Good though he has not score for some matches now.