Gabriel Jesus' friends & family denied re-entry to UK over visa issues

The group have helped the Brazil striker settle into life in Manchester but they were made to return to Sao Paulo by British border control

Friends and family of striker Gabriel Jesus were turned away from Heathrow airport in January after their travel visas had lapsed.

Jesus has relied upon his close inner circle to help him adapt to life in since completing a £27 million from Palmeiras in January 2017.

The striker's brother, Felipe, and two friends, Higor Braga and Fabio Lucio, live with Jesus in an exclusive apartment block in Manchester city centre.

And while Jesus impressed fans with his performances on the pitch, his friends quickly earned cult status thanks to their exploits on Instagram.

Back in December, they were special guests at a City event held in Sao Paulo, where the club's Brazilian fans watched the 4-1 victory against .

But they were denied re-entry to the United Kingdom last month after attempting to return following 's holiday period.

They were made to return to Brazil as the initial visas they had used to stay in the UK had expired, and it is believed they are now applying for study visas, which are yet to be finalised by the Home Office. It is believed City are helping with the process.

Jesus' mother, Vera, also helped her son settle into life in England but she was not part of the group which was turned away from London.

A post shared by Higor Braga 🔹 (@higorbragaa) on Apr 3, 2017 at 1:00pm PDT

Jesus, who is recovering from knee ligament damage, has been accompanied by two other friends in recent weeks.

The 20-year-old suffered the injury at on New Year's Eve, but his manager, Pep Guardiola, said on Friday that he is nearing a return to full fitness.

"Today [Friday] he is going to play part of the session with the group," the Catalan said. "It’s good news. I don't know when he'll be ready definitely to be with us, with the team [for a match], but the first step is to make one or two weeks training alone, and today is the first [time] with the team."

City face in the fifth round fo the FA cup on Monday.