Gary Neville has credited Gabriel Jesus for the fusion of Arsenal's front-three following the Gunners' 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday. The 25-year-old joined the north Londoners from Manchester City in the summer in a move worth around £45million and, having already greatly impressed, it's fair to say that the striker has exceeded expectations back under Mikel Arteta's stewardship.
Jesus has featured nine times for the Spaniard's side in the Premier League this season, directly contributing towards eight goals. The Brazil international's breathtaking displays have guided Arsenal to the makings of a title charge, so it's no surprise to see that he's received plaudits for his efforts - one, of course, being Neville.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Manchester United defender attributed the Brazilian with being responsible for gluing the Gunners together. Neville noted that Jesus has been able to do what both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette couldn't, offering himself as the all-encompassing number nine that provides a link to the wide-men.
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"[Gabriel] Martinelli on one side, [Bukayo] Saka on the other - they’re fantastic young wide players," the Sky Sports pundit said. "They’re a bit of a throwback as well because they play quite wide, they’re not the ones who play inside right, left strikers, they play wide, take people on.
"I love watching them play. Last season, Aubameyang leaves in January, Lacazette doesn’t give them that same energy that Jesus does.
"All of a sudden, you put Jesus up there, there’s the link. There’s a target man. Someone they can play off. All of a sudden it’s lit the rest of them up and shown what they can be."
Neville continued by accepting that the talent at Arsenal has always been there in recent years, but it was Jesus who gelled Arteta's philosophy together. He said: "The promise of the likes of Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe, we knew it was there but what Jesus has done is knitted them together and made them look as electric.
"They’ve got that player now who backs in to people, holds people off, he turns people, rolls them, pops it off to people, he’s a brilliant centre-forward. He runs the channels, he runs the sides, he hunts down and presses. He’s fantastic and that is player who has changed Arsenal. He’s made those young players even more promising than they already were."
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