Hansi Flick hails Gabriel Jesus transformation after Arsenal exit

Gabriel Jesus is in line to make his first Barcelona start against Getafe on Saturday, with Hansi Flick hailing the former Arsenal striker's rapid improvement just weeks after his £8.6m move away from the Emirates Stadium.

Jesus's situation has changed dramatically since the closing days of the summer transfer window.

The 29-year-old left Arsenal for Barcelona on September 1 after falling behind Viktor Gyokeres in Mikel Arteta's attacking hierarchy and completing a permanent move for a reported £8.6m.

Jesus subsequently claimed that, after completing pre-season with Arsenal's first team, he had unexpectedly been instructed to train separately before his departure, although Arteta later said that he was "very surprised" by the Brazilian's account of events.

A little over five weeks later, Jesus is now preparing for a potentially significant step at his new club.

With Raphinha unavailable through injury, Flick has indicated that the Brazil international could start Barcelona's La Liga meeting with Getafe at Camp Nou.

"He has improved a lot and adapted to our style," Flick said ahead of Saturday's game.

"He has trained very well over the last three weeks and he's ready."

Gabriel Jesus has made his limited Barcelona minutes count

Jesus has so far been restricted to substitute appearances since arriving in Catalonia, but he has already given Flick reasons to increase his role.

His Barcelona debut came in the closing stages of a 5-0 victory away to Valencia on September 6.

Three days later, he scored his first goal for the club only a couple of minutes after coming off the bench against Feyenoord in the Champions League, flicking Lamine Yamal's cross beyond the goalkeeper to complete a 5-1 win.

Jesus then struck again against Racing Santander, replacing Raphinha in the 69th minute before scoring 10 minutes later in Barcelona's 7-2 victory.

Those contributions have come despite Jesus being recruited primarily as a rotational option following the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Barcelona had initially pursued Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez as their preferred solution through the middle before turning to Jesus, whose reduced status at Arsenal made him a comparatively low-cost opportunity.

The former Manchester City forward also accepted a significant wage reduction to complete the switch to Spain.

Raphinha injury opens first major opportunity for Jesus

Raphinha's absence now offers Jesus the clearest opportunity yet to show that he can become more than an occasional substitute.

Flick has confirmed that the Barcelona captain will miss both Saturday's meeting with Getafe and the subsequent Champions League trip to Galatasaray, with the Catalan giants unwilling to take risks given his previous injury problems.

Jesus does not offer precisely the same qualities as Raphinha, but Flick believes his greatest strength lies in and around the penalty area.

That could be particularly useful against a Getafe side expected to defend deep at Camp Nou, where Barcelona will attempt to preserve their perfect start to the La Liga campaign.

For Jesus, the occasion would represent another significant milestone in a remarkably quick change of circumstances.

At the end of August, his Arsenal future had effectively disappeared after four seasons in North London, with the striker no longer central to Arteta's plans and Barcelona taking advantage of his availability.

By October, Flick is publicly praising his adaptation, his training levels and his readiness to start for the Spanish champions.

Jesus still has considerable work to do before threatening the established attacking hierarchy when everyone is fit.

But after making two of his brief substitute appearances count, the Brazilian is about to receive his first opportunity to show what Barcelona's £8.6m gamble can look like from the opening whistle.