Roberto Carlos tips 19-year-old for stardom at Manchester City

Former World Cup winner Roberto Carlos believes his fellow countryman Gabriel Jesus has all the attributes to become a club legend at Manchester City.

Jesus, 19, who signed for the Citizens officially last Thursday (January 19), came off the bench to make his debut against Tottenham at the Etihad on Saturday evening (January 21) and almost made the dream start only to see his strike chalked off for offside. And Carlos, who also revealed how he almost joined Chelsea back in 2007, says the young Brazilian only showed glimpses of what he was capable of in that impressive 11-minute cameo. He believes there was plenty more to come from the former Palmeiras forward.

"Gabriel will be very important for Manchester City but he needs time to adapt," the 43-year-old told Sky Sports.

"He showed what he can do in the last 15 minutes of the game against Tottenham. He showed his fantastic speed and he scored the goal that was ruled out for offside," the former Real Madrid defender added.

Jesus did have the ball in the net in the 2-2 draw, but his late strike was disallowed by referee Andre Marriner. And Carlos, who also used to ply his trade with Palmeiras, says patience will be key in terms of the youngster's development: "I would ask that people don't put too much pressure on him too soon, it can be difficult for a young boy coming to a new country. He has to adapt."