Sergio Aguero insists the return of Gabriel Jesus does not mean he will leave Manchester City

The Argentine was demoted to the bench when the teenager arrived in January

Aguero struck the post in the first half (Getty)

Sergio Aguero has reassured Manchester City supporters that the rise of Gabriel Jesus does not mean he would have to leave the Etihad Stadium.

The 20-year-old Brazilian almost settled Thursday night’s Manchester derby with a late goal that was ruled offside, leading his manager, Pep Guardiola, to reflect how much better the club would have done had Jesus arrived earlier.

Although he was signed for £27m in July, an agreement with Palmeiras meant he remained in Brazil until January. Having scored three goals in his first three starts, a fractured metatarsal meant he missed two critical months of Manchester City’s season. The Manchester derby in which he appeared with four minutes to go was his first return.

Nevertheless, Aguero, who struck the post early on against Manchester United, is sanguine about Jesus’ return, arguing he was a support striker during his time with Atletico Madrid and it is a role he could return to. It was Aguero who supplied the cross for Jesus’ offside goal.

“People don’t know, they think I am a number nine,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports conducted by Thierry Henry. “But I have only become a number nine over the last two-and-a-half years with Manchester City.

“I have been playing as a number nine here. Manuel Pellegrini often played me as a lone striker and it has been the same under Pep and I have been adapting to it.

“At Atletico and at Independiente as a youngster, I always played as a second striker. During my five-year stint at Atleti I played with Fernando Torres, then Diego Forlan and finally Diego Costa.

“When I joined Manchester City, I enjoyed being in and around the box but I still did drop back. Roberto Mancini was in charge and the other forwards were Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli. I always played with Dzeko. Under Mancini I was always alongside someone else up front.”

Nevertheless, Guardiola inherited Aguero, who will turn 29 in the summer. He signed Jesus and the Argentine is aware of what that means.

“I have always adapted to whatever the manager has decided,” he said. “When I was on the bench, it wasn’t a problem. Pep spoke to me and told me he was going with Gabriel Jesus. I just had to keep training hard and trying to do well when I got a chance to restore the manager’s confidence in me.

“Gabriel is a very good young player which is why he is at City and I know there will come a time when I will have to step aside. Other young strikers, like Gabriel Jesus, will be brought in.

“When you reach a certain age, the youngsters start putting pressure on you and you have to be even better. I am happy Gabriel is back now and that means I will have to be much more focused and alert when I play. If I have to start on the bench once again, I’ll have to accept it. I always respect my coaches and I certainly respect Pep.”