Gabriel Jesus still no closer to being the long-term heir to Sergio Aguero

Four minutes of the second half had elapsed at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night when Gabriel Jesus intercepted a throw-in from Andrew Robertson on Liverpool’s left. There was work still to do to get to goal but the Manchester City striker skipped stealthily past his compatriot, Fabinho, to leave just another Brazilian between himself and a fourth goal for the home side. Alisson was certainly expecting to be worked, but the rushed shot that arrived lacked pace and direction and the save, in the end, could not have been much simpler for the Liverpool goalkeeper.

It was Jesus’ strengths and weaknesses in microcosm. He had put himself in an inviting position through his hunger, work rate and anticipation but, not for the first time in his City career, failed to find the finish when it mattered. In the end, it made no difference to the outcome. City were rampant and Liverpool, for once, had no answer as the dethroned champions put down a marker of sorts for the remainder of this season, and next. But what happens in those games where the margins are that bit thinner - the Champions League knockout stages in August perhaps - where a striker may get one chance, two if he is lucky, and can ill afford to be so wasteful?

It is a couple of years now since Jesus scored that dramatic 94th minute winner against Southampton at St Mary’s on the final day of the 2017/18 campaign to chalk up an unprecedented century of points in the first of Pep Guardiola’s back to back titles.

City are back at Southampton on Sunday evening but, in many ways, the same questions that were being asked about Jesus then are still being asked now and, while there is little doubt about the Brazilian’s character, popularity among team-mates, and value as a support act to Sergio Aguero, he still looks no closer to being the long-term heir to the Argentine.

Aguero will not play again in the league this season following knee surgery last month and, given the time it usually takes him to get back up to speed after a lengthy lay-off, there are no guarantees he will be fit enough to lead the line when City resume their pursuit of European Cup glory in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid on Aug 7 or 8.

Opportunity, of course, has knocked for Jesus before but it has not always looked a burden he is comfortable carrying. There was a goal in City’s 2-1 win over Real at the Bernabeu in February, when he was preferred to Aguero, but his fellow South American has set such a high bar that rising to it consistently would prove beyond the majority of strikers.

“No one can compare with Sergio and what he has done in his career,” Guardiola said after the Liverpool game. “Gabriel gives us something that is perfect for us because they are complimentary - what one guy has, the other one may be struggles with and vice versa.

“Gabriel helps us to be more aggressive. He is a fighter. I remember how many goals we have scored in the last three, four, five games because of him. Gabriel is something special for us.”

Jesus is certainly a fighter, and when it comes to pressing from the front, he has few equals. But as Aguero, now 32, enters the final year of his contract, City will soon have a decision to make on Jesus: enlist him as their first choice centre-forward when Aguero does go or enter the transfer market.

Perhaps when Aguero departs, it will relax Jesus and he will finally step out of the great man’s shadow but those rough edges in front of goal still need a lot of smoothing, as do the timing of his runs given the frequency with which he finds himself offside.

Even in the first half against Liverpool, there were moments when you would have backed Aguero to score in positions Jesus could not exploit. In one instance, a heavy first touch from a sublime Kevin De Bruyne pass gave Robertson a chance to recover ground and the City striker ended up firing horribly wide. In another, Jesus was offside far too cheaply when De Bruyne’s exquisite through ball demanded a better timed run.

“I don’t think he’s the answer,” Roy Keane, the former Manchester United captain, said. “He’s a good squad player but in terms of replacing Aguero, that’s a big ask.”

Time will tell, but he needs to start kicking on.