Rio Ferdinand believes Gabriel Jesus has made an "unreal" impact at Arsenal but is urging fans not to go "overboard" about him.
The Brazil international, 25, joined the Gunners from Manchester City in a £45million deal this summer. He's made an instant impression at the Emirates, scoring two goals and providing three assists to help Arsenal win all four of their Premier League games this term.
Many fans have already labelled Jesus as the signing of the summer, yet Ferdinand isn't getting carried away. The Manchester United icon has highlighted the impact Jesus' replacement Erling Haaland has made at Man City in the opening weeks of the season.
The Norway international, 22, completed a £51.2m move from Borussia Dortmund to Man City this summer and took Jesus' No.9 shirt after his move to the Emirates. He's scored six goals and provided one assist in four Premier League appearances this season.
That makes Haaland the competition's leading scorer, with Aleksander Mitrovic, Harry Kane and Rodrigo all on four goals. Haaland scored a hat-trick in his most recent outing, helping Man City recover from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 at the Etihad.
"I think that Jesus’s impact has been unreal," said Ferdinand on his Vibe with Five podcast. "I think that he has been a fantastic signing, an absolute major signing for Arsenal, but please don’t go overboard like all Arsenal fans do.
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"When you have got Haaland banging in a hat-trick at the weekend and you are going, 'Oh, Jesus is overshadowing him still' - what are you talking about?"
Jesus enjoyed huge success at Man City, winning nine major trophies - including four Premier League titles. Speaking earlier this month, Arteta said: "When you bring in top players who are coming from top clubs where they have been extremely successful over the years, they are going to expect that expectation [of being successful].
"The role Gabriel has here is going to be very different to the role he had at his previous club, that needs some adaptation and some time. He's done it fantastically well, we are surprised how quickly he has done it, but we have to share that responsibility.
"He's an enormous talent, a player with mentality that is so contagious, and he is going to give us a lot, but it is a team contribution at the end of the day."
Man City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has praised Haaland for the start he's made to his Premier League career. "Erling has done [what he has done] since he was born," said Guardiola after his team's win against Palace on Saturday afternoon. “He has done what he has done all his life. In Salzburg and everywhere he has been, he has scored goals."
Guardiola added: "The numbers for this guy are beyond. The most important thing is that he has settled perfectly, and he is an incredibly humble guy. He is a lovely person. He chats more with the guys from the Academy and that means a lot. Hopefully, he can be happy the time we are together."
