Manchester City has been dealt a big blow in the new year as their star forward Gabriel Jesus has fallen victim to a medial collateral ligament injury in their previous league match versus Crystal Palace. It is expected that the Citizens will miss their centre-forward’s services for a lengthy period with further scans set to reveal the extent of his injury. The 20-year-old was subbed off in tears at Selhurst Park following his injury in the first half of the contest.
There are growing fears that he may be out of action for a long time and possibly faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. For now, City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that the Brazilian may be out for “little more than a month”. And with their superstar midfielder Kevin De Bruyne out injured as well, the Citizens might look to address their situation by making a few quality additions in the winter transfer window.
Let’s take a look at three players who have the talents to fill the void left by Gabriel Jesus in the Manchester City squad.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The Borussia Dortmund striker has fallen out of favour with his manager and may look to switch clubs in this current transfer window. His possible availability this month makes him an ideal candidate to fill the hole left by Jesus in the City starting eleven. He has the potential to rival Sergio Aguero for a first-team place in Pep Guardiola’s team. The Gabon striker has scored 21 goals in 23 matches for Dortmund so far in this campaign.
Moussa Dembélé
The Celtic striker might be sold this month and a move to Manchester makes sense as he will be a perfect second fiddle for the Citizens’ forward Sergio Aguero. The 21-year-old has bags of potential and can be an asset for City for years to come. He has featured in 21 matches for Celtic this season and has scored 8 goals and made 3 assists so far. Dembele came through the youth ranks at Fulham and broke into their first team before joining the reigning Scottish champions.
Karim Benzema
The Real Madrid striker is struggling with his form this season and has fallen out of favour at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He has been far from consistent for the Los Blancos and has started to lose the faith of the supporters. Manchester City might offer to take him to England to try and reignite his career. The French forward has made 20 appearances for his club and has scored 5 goals and made 3 assists in the process.
