Gabriel Jesus has revealed the advice he gave Declan Rice when the midfielder signed for Arsenal.
Rice has become a central figure in Arsenal’s progress in recent seasons, after arriving from West Ham in a £105m deal in 2023.
The 27-year-old has become a regular goal threat and from set pieces, with Jesus revealing how he urged Rice to use his attacking qualities more.
Rice has scored 21 goals in just under three seasons at Arsenal, already more than he managed in 245 games for West Ham. Arsenal teammate Jesus has taken some of the credit for Rice’s attacking improvement.
“He’s the type of player that can do everything,” Jesus said to Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“When he arrived at the club, I said ‘do a favour for me’. Every time you get the opportunity, shoot. Outside the box. This can decide you a game, or the direction of a game. If you shoot from long distances, it can open a game.
“I had this situation with (Vincent) Kompany. It’s not the same quality of shooting but he just tried shooting against Leicester… 1-0, we win the league.
“His (Rice’s) quality of shooting is amazing, but he’s the type of player that can do everything. This guy can defend, this guy can create, this guy can shoot. He’s an amazing player.”
