Kompany & Aguero help Gabriel to find his form

VINCENT KOMPANY couldn’t have put it any better in a scribbled autograph on the match ball tucked under Gabriel Jesus’s arm.

The Manchester City skipper wrote: “Proud of you Bro. Keep going. Vincent Kompany No.4.” Special words among all Jesus’s other team-mates’ signatures to celebrate his four-goal bonanza in the

9-0 demolition of Burton in the first leg of the Carabao Cup Semi-Final at The Etihad. Jesus, 21, appreciated the sentiment and support from his skipper and fellow striker Sergio Aguero who has been his inspiration since arriving from Brazilian club Palmeiras two years ago.

He has found the City legends his guiding lights after falling into a dark place goalscoring-wise this season. Jesus has failed to hit his expected heights, scoring just five goals in

16 games over the winter months with boss Pep Guardiola perplexed by his dip in form. But now Jesus has hit five in City’s 16-goal romp over Rotherham in the FA Cup and Burton on Wednesday night to take his tally for his stop-start season to 13. Jesus, acknowledging the role Aguero plays in his footballing life, said: “Sergio is a legend. He is special. He has played here a long time and scored a lot of goals – not just for City but Argentina too. “I respect him and learn a lot from him. I am learning every day from Sergio. My family helped me, too. They are so important to keep me going. “Sometimes, I lose chances and it’s more difficult. Then I feel so bad. But that is football – sometimes you score, sometimes you lose.

“When I lose the ball and don’t score I get frustrated. I know that and I try, I really try to change this because it is not good for me and not good for my football and personality. I try but that is me.

“We all need to have a close family and their advice wasn’t just about my football but about life. It is important to accept that a footballer’s life sometimes goes up and sometimes goes down.

“For me, working hard makes me feel happy. But I am 21 and my career was on the up in Brazil. When I came to City I have been left to think that not just in football but in life, when you keep trying to get better it doesn’t always work out that way.” Kompany, Aguero and his fellow City stars are by his side encouraging, cajoling to make Jesus one of the world’s greatest finishers. And at home, mum Vera Lucia is his team-mate in life with that unique phone celebration his trademark in showing how much he respects her words of motherly wisdom. Jesus added: “When I talk to my mum, everything feels good. We talk a lot about life as well as football and I am learning a lot from my mum.

“The smile on my face? Yes, it’s a beautiful feeling. My first love is my mum and my second love is football. I need them a lot even though I love my work.

“My life here is football. I am a football player and blessed to God for this. I am so happy again. But it was also very difficult being a striker for Brazil at the World Cup and not being able to score. Football life is about downs and ups. That for us is real life.”

Manchester City v Wolves, Tomorrow

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