Gabriel Jesus has named his best five-a-side team from players he’s played alongside, with no current Arsenal teammate making the cut.
The Brazilian leaned heavily on his countrymen when posed the question by Rio Ferdinand for The Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, with goalkeepers excluded.
Jesus oped for Thiago Silva and Dani Alves as his defensive unit, with Neymar and Philippe Coutinho tasked with providing the creativity.
The 29-year-old opted for Coutinho over former teammates including David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure and Bukayo Saka, insisting the ex-Liverpool star’s strengths in short-sided games earn him the nod.
“He is the type of player that keeps the ball, short plays. Magician. His shooting…,” Jesus said on Coutinho.
“We talk about David Silva, and he’s the best European player I played with, unbelievable. But I think Coutinho has more quality to finish the action, like score goals, so that’s why I go to Coutinho.”
Jesus picked Sergio Aguero as the striker for his side. Ferdinand asked Jesus to speak more about Aguero, admitting the former Manchester City striker was one of the top five forwards he played against during his own career.
“He can attack your back, he can keep you on his toes,” Jesus said.
“There was one game, against Chelsea, he missed a tap-in from half a metre. No goal, he missed. Next action, from outside the area, top corner. Hat-trick this game. He’s the type of striker that can miss chances but score three, easily.”
