Gabriel Jesus has revealed how Pep Guardiola played a key role in his decision to join Manchester City over Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United.

The Brazilian forward’s obvious potential had been noted by leading sides across Europe following his emergence at Palmeiras.

Having starred for club and country, an exciting talent was presented with several options to consider as he contemplated his next move.

In the end, City won out as they put a £27 million deal in place, with Jesus arriving at the Etihad Stadium in January 2017 to link up with Guardiola and embark on a productive opening to his time in England.

The 20-year-old told FourFourTwo on how he came to that decision: “Guardiola called me up and said I would be a very important part of his project.

“This obviously made me feel wanted and was a big factor in helping me pick City as my next club.

“There had been a lot of clubs interested in signing me at the time, but the one I felt most confident in was City.”

Jesus completed his switch to City after helping Brazil to gold medal glory at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

A deal was officially pushed through on January 19, with Guardiola calling his latest addition into training within minutes of his arrival in England.

“When I landed in Manchester, I came straight to the training ground – I didn’t even go to my hotel,” Jesus added.