Fernandinho has urged fans to be patient over the return of Gabriel Jesus ahead of Thursday’s Manchester derby.

The 20-year-old striker is back in training after fracturing his metatarsal against Bournemouth on 13 February.


And given the dramatic impact Jesus had at the start of the year – scoring against West Ham and Swansea - supporters are understandably excited about his comeback.

His compatriot said: “Gabriel is coming back now and I think we must be patient and have some caution, a foot injury is always complicated.

“But we know that whenever he is ready, he will come back well and give everything, as always and he will be very important for us.”

Meanwhile, Ferna has given his verdict on the FA Cup semi-final defeat against Arsenal and how best to tackle United.

He said of the Gunners game: “We started well. We scored a goal and we also had few good chances, but at the end we lost and we are no longer in this very important competition.

“Now we must raise our heads; we have a very important derby on Thursday and our aim now is to finish in a position that will get us to the Champions League.

“The two goals they scored (were the main factor). Maybe they also had a bit of luck but it was a very intense game from the beginning, we tried as much as possible, we dominated the ball, we tried to pressure a lot, but we were unlucky with their second goal.”

-Sanchez receives a yellow for his foul on Fernandinho
-Sanchez receives a yellow for his foul on Fernandinho


United are just a point behind City after beating Burnley on Sunday and Fernandinho admits it could be a pivotal game in the race for a top four finish.

He added: “It’s a decisive game, they are behind us by one point and they won their game today on Sunday.

“We have the same amount of games played, so we are fighting for a place in the Champions League for next season. I believe it will be a similar game to this one, with high intensity, with both teams trying their best to win the game and I hope we will have more luck this time.”

The Brazilian also shrugged off concerns about the quick turnaround in terms of his own fitness, adding: “Yes. I believe I can recover very well by Thursday and should be 100% for the game.”

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