Brazil international Gabriel Jesus has said that the recent Copa America tournament has helped him evolve as a player. The young forward was severely criticised for the reduced impact during the 2018 World Cup but he managed to make amends at the Copa America with two goals and two assists including the opening strike in the 3-1 final triumph over Peru.
Speaking to ESPN Brasil, Jesus said that he is unperturbed with the criticism regarding his performances and the recent Copa America tournament has helped him improve into a better player, he told: "If I am criticized or praised, if they want me to evolve, I'll go through with it. It can happen to anyone and unfortunately, it happened to me. But I kept my cool and evolved.
“I always want to improve as a player and a person, and that is what happened.Unfortunately, I didn't score in the World Cup [in 2018] and in the middle of the Copa America people were talking. As I said previously, critics sometimes are not objective at all. I try to evolve from critics that allow me to do that. There will always be this kind of stuff, just like the compliments."
Meanwhile, Jesus has not been getting regular gametime with Manchester City owing to the presence of Sergio Aguero, but he has indicated that he is prepared to remain patient. The Brazilian has mostly featured in the Cup competitions and during the recent league campaign, he was restricted to just eight starts under Pep Guardiola.
Elsewhere, the Citizens have been aiming to strengthen the squad further ahead of the hunt for the third-straight Premier League title. They have already landed the signatures of Angelino and Rodri with the latter arriving from Atletico Madrid on a club-record deal. The spending spree could continue during the forthcoming weeks with a new central defender identified as one of the priorities.