Would Manchester United or Manchester City be a better destination for Gabriel Jesus?

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The Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry is one aspect of the Premier League that supporters of Manchester clubs United and City, as well as fans all over the world, are looking forward to. After the endless drama of their personal rivalry during their tenures in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona, the football world waits eagerly on for what they will bring to England.

It seems already that the two are squaring up again, as Manchester United and Manchester City prepare to do battle in a bid to bring highly-rated Palmeiras youngster Gabriel Jesus to the Premier League.

The 19-year-old forward only made his senior debut for the Brazilian club this year, but after 32 appearances in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, in which he notched 14 goals, he has attracted the attentions of several big European clubs.

It was Pep Guardiola and Manchester City who made their move first. The exact figure of their bid remains unknown, but according to Sky Sports News, was likely to be over the £20 million in order to satisfy Palmeiras, who are determined to hold onto the youngster with his contract still to run until 2019 at the Sao Paulo club.

The initial bid appeared enough for the player to be near a move to The Etihad, with City now in advanced negotiations and Palmeiras seemingly resigned to casing in on their asset. This offer however now looks set to be trumped by Mourinho and Manchester United.

According to Globoesporte via the Manchester Evening News, United are now willing to table a formal bid of £26.8 million, which could rise to above £30 million according to the Sun, in an attempt to hijack City’s move for the starlet and tempt the youngster into a move to Old Trafford over the Etihad. Although as it stands, City are in pole position for the youngster.

So, would Old Trafford or the Etihad be a better destination for this youngster, and would he help turn either into title contenders?

Gabriel is highly rated across Europe given his exploits with club Palmeiras, and is currently gracing Brazil’s Olympic squad alongside Neymar as they step-up their preparations for the Rio Games. As a result of his participation in this tournament, the youngster would miss the first few weeks of the Premier League season were he to be snapped up by either club.

His 5 ft 9 frame and pace, dribbling, trickery and attacking endeavour have drawn comparisons to compatriots Robinho and Neymar, given his impact with the ball at his feet. However, he is deceptively powerful given his size and is able to use his strength and low centre of gravity to hold off taller and stronger defenders.

It is his ability to hold up the ball as well as take on players which provides encouragement that the 19-year-old can step up and make the grade in the harsh environment of the Premier League.

The youngster may prove an ideal fit for Manchester United given their recent policy of recruiting young, raw talent, having brought Anthony Martial and the thus far disappointing Memphis Depay to Old Trafford last summer. Despite the fact that Mourinho in the past has hardly been known to try his hand with younger players, the recruitment of Eric Bailly from Villarreal suggests otherwise, and with the further signings of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Special One looks to be blending promising youth with experience and craft to not only benefit Manchester United in the short term, but provide the younger Red Devils with the ideal mentors.

In such an environment, an exciting youngster can learn and really fulfil his potential. Besides the trickery and flair which he may perfect at United, he could also hone the hold-up side of his game under the tutelage of teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Also capable of being deployed on the wing, the arrival of Gabriel Jesus may also be the kick-start of extra competition that flop Memphis Depay needs to finally re-ignite his career Old Trafford. The Dutchman has so far been disappointing, and the recruitment of the Brazilian not only provides somebody capable of stepping into his place, but competition to perhaps get the best out of him.

The goal return of the youngster in the Brazilian league, given his attributes, also points towards the player being capable of a reasonable haul in the Premier League, which could go a long way in making Mourinho’s attack potent enough to make United title contenders.

According to the player’s agent Cristiano Soames, it is City who are in “advanced talks” with the player, and under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola, the player may also have just as big an impact at Manchester City.

The player has previously been quoted as saying it would be a “dream” to play for La Liga giants Barcelona, although Manchester City may seem a far cry from the Catalan capital, the lure of former Barcelona boss Guardiola, his style of play and his man-to-man management could well prove vastly beneficial for the youngster. Guardiola has already had a profound effect on Fabian Delph at the Etihad, and he may yet just get the best out of Jesus too, having overseen the progression of Lionel Messi into his prime back in Spain.

Given Guardiola’s style of play, he is in need of a skilful, flair-player who will take the game to the opposition by running at defences and giving centre-halves another problem to think about. His hold-up play; in a similar fashion to his potential impact at United, would also provide a huge asset to City’s game, with Wilfried Bony the only other like-minded forward at the Etihad. Whether Bony as a more experienced player would help Jesus develop that side of his game compared to Ibrahimovic remains to be seen, as the Ivorian’s future at City remains uncertain.

The dribbling and trickery side of his game would probably benefit the most at City, given the influence of Spanish wide players Nolito and David Silva whose exposure would certainly help the raw Jesus develop. Being young however, much like Neymar, the player is both unpredictable and comes with a lack of fear for the opposition. So it may get more challenging for him in the Premier League as time goes by and defenders begin to cotton on to how Jesus plays, but with Guardiola’s oratory and the influence of more experienced players, he has every chance of developing his game sufficently.

With City’s attack already looking potent with Nolito, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and another raw youngster in Kalechi Iheanacho in the ranks, Gabriel Jesus will surely add more trickery and more goals towards making City a strong bet for the title under Guardiola.

Thus for different reasons, either Manchester club would provide an ideal destination for the Brazilian in terms of developing differentiating aspects of his game. With both clubs managed by astute tacticians, either would be able to get the best out of the youngster and he would add his own beneficial aspects to either side in order to propel them towards being contenders for the title.

It is Manchester City leading the race for the Brazilian thus far, though with United primed to make a formal offer, a bidding war between the Red Devils and their noisy neighbours may just be on the horizon. With their financial punch looking to have priced other clubs around Europe out of a move, a switch to the Premier League seems the likeliest outcome, but the question remains as to whom it will be.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras