Hansi Flick believes Gabriel Jesus is “perfect” for Barcelona following his impressive start to life at Camp Nou.
Jesus joined Barcelona from Arsenal in September, having seen the final years of his time in North London heavily disrupted by injury.
Barca spent much of the summer trying to prise Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, with their failure to do so seemingly leaving the defending LaLiga champions light at the centre forward spot.
But the signing of Jesus to help fill that void following Robert Lewandowski’s departure to MLS side Chicago Fire is looking an increasingly astute one.
With Raphinha, who had been playing through the middle, out with a thigh injury, Jesus made it three goals in five games in all competitions by scoring the second goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Getafe on Saturday.
And, ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash away at Galatasaray, Flick heaped praise on the former Manchester City striker.
Asked about the possibility of Jesus starting against Galatasaray, Flick told a pre-match press conference: “Yes, of course he’s ready. He’s ready to play. But if he plays, we don’t know yet. We will see. We will decide tomorrow after the training today.
“But I’m very happy that he’s in our team. It was a little surprise, to be honest. But at the end, he’s absolutely a top guy.
“He’s a very good player for us. Very good player for us. And his behaviour, his character, it’s perfect for us. It’s a great guy.”
Barcelona had a comfortable start to their latest effort to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015, beating Feyenoord 5-1 in their league phase opener.
But Flick knows the task in Istanbul is likely to be considerably more difficult.
“We have to be prepared for the atmosphere. It’s one of the best in the world,” Flick added.
“It’s incredible. The sound of the stadium is incredible. They have improved a lot against great teams and we have to be united.
“I always say I’m happy with how we started, but every game is different. It’ll be tough tomorrow.
“It’s a privilege to be here. We’re all ready for this game.”
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