Gabriel Jesus out injured “for a few weeks”

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Leicester City at Etihad Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Leicester City at Etihad Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City’s striker situation just became even more complicated as Gabriel Jesus will be out for a few weeks.

With Sergio Agüero’s injury being far worse than initially thought, the onus was on Gabriel Jesus to carry the load for Manchester City’s attack for the foreseeable future. However, after suffering a multi-week injury setback, it now appears that Manchester City could be in a crisis up top.

Following star youth prospect Liam Delap’s highly impressive senior debut in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth, an opportunity written in the stars could have just arrived for the 17 year old. Nevertheless, a cup fixture in a heavily rotated side is a completely different beast from the pace and intensity of Premier League action, so I would expect Pep Guardiola to turn to Raheem Sterling, his de facto third-choice striker over the last few years.

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However, Sterling has seemed uncomfortable in the role, whereas Delap showed a rare gift for clinical finishing prowess with a stunning first-time goal into the top corner against Bournemouth, so I believe he should be given a chance. I doubt he will start against Leicester after just playing a full 90 minutes in the cup in midweek, but moving forward, as he gets more experience and training sessions under his belt, I believe Delap should be given the opportunity to serve as City’s first-choice striker.

Jesus’ injury is a tough blow to what has been a rocky injury start to City’s season, but the team will need to persevere. Coupled with a difficult fixture against Leicester City up next, they will need to cope with either Delap, Sterling, or an outside candidate such as Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne down the middle if they are to stay toward the top end of the early league table.