Nigel Winterburn has come to the defence of Gabriel Jesus as he declared he isn’t concerned by the Arsenal’s striker’s lack of goals.
Big things were expected of the Brazilian after he banged in seven goals during pre-season following his £45million switch from Manchester City.
And while the 25-year-old has undoubtedly transformed the Gunners’ attack, he has chipped in with just five strikes from 13 games in all competitions.
In comparison, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez – who some have derided for his lack of goals given his price tag – has fired in six goals this term despite not yet hitting top form.
No player in the Premier League has missed more key chances this term than Jesus (8).
His poor finishing was evident in Sunday’s 1-1 draw away at Southampton where he missed a hat-trick of chances.
But Arsenal icon Winterburn is not worrying over his poor finishing, as he stressed the important thing is that he’s getting in the right positions to score.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT on behalf of FreeSuperTips, the 58-year-old said: “For me no it isn’t a concern.
“But I understand why it might be to some people because we are obsessed with stats.
“I’m not a stat man myself, but what I will say is I much prefer a striker to be in those positions and missing than not getting any chances at all.
“Obviously, that run has to come to an end, but I think he’s got too much ability and energy to allow it to go on.
“I love what he’s brought to the club and I’m still pretty sure that he will score plenty of goals.
“But you can see it in his face, he will want to start scoring goals again very quickly, particularly going into this World Cup break.”
The last time Jesus found the back of the net was against rivals Tottenham in Arsenal’s 3-1 north London derby victory at the start of the month.
It is five games without a goal in all competitions for the ex-Palmeiras ace heading into Thursday’s Europa League clash against PSV.
Commenting on his form ahead of the match in the Netherlands, Jesus said: “That’s football.
“I don’t want it to be like this, of course.
“I want to improve, I want to work, like always in my life and then the next game, I try again. And I’m 100 per cent sure I will score.”
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News Summary:
- Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn plays down Gabriel Jesus’ lack of goals as Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez overtakes him with six strikes this season
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.