Rivaldo makes Brazil admission over Gabriel Jesus situation at Man City

Brazil great Rivaldo has suggested that a lack of minutes for Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City has bothered the coach of his national team.

Brazil boss Tite did not select the City forward in his squad for their March fixtures, with Premier League regulars Richarlison, Raphinha and Gabriel Martinelli among the preferred options. It is the first time Jesus has been left out since September and his omission does not come at a great time ahead of the World Cup in December.

Jesus started the season in fine form for City but lost his place on the right wing to Riyad Mahrez and has been disrupted by injuries in the past two months. He is also approaching the final 12 months of his contract at the Etihad, with a decision needed on his future this summer.

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Rivaldo, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, hopes that Jesus can regain his place in the City side to guarantee his best for Qatar. However, with competition for a seat on the plane intense, there are understandable concerns over his lack of minutes at City.

"Gabriel Jesus was a starter for Man City against Sporting in the Champions League and played well, but he's only started once this year in the Premier League," he told Betfair. "As we know, the former Palmeiras forward has performed an important role for the Brazilian national team in the last few years.

"But Tite might be worried that Jesus is not being picked by Pep Guardiola very often. It's never nice for an international coach to see one of his preferred players being dropped so often at his club.

"It can lead to a lack of rhythm later in the season or even in the warmup for World Cup. I hope Gabriel Jesus manages to