Jason Wilcox and Matt Hargreaves have intervened to keep a highly prized Manchester United Academy member at the club this summer.
While Manchester United are looking to bring in reinforcements to the squad to improve on last season’s disappointment, the answer to their issues may lie in their academy.
The club have signed Wolves forward Matheus Cunha and are close to signing Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, but the squad still needs a number of other players in other positions and, due to PSR issues, have limited funds.
During his time at Sporting Lisbon, Ruben Amorim was known for his willingness to implement youth into the first team, and this is something he has continued during his time at United.
Chido Obi, Harry Amass and Tyler Fredricson are all amongst the academy graduates to have featured prominently for Amorim last season, and while the club is limited in what they can spend, it may be necessary to promote more youth to the first team.
Today, it has been revealed that another potential future United star has agreed to stay at the club.
JJ Gabriel agrees to stay at United
Nathan Salt from the Daily Mail has reported that Manchester United have reached an agreement with 14-year-old JJ Gabriel to keep him at the club. Academy players have the option to move clubs at the ages of 14 and 16. This year, Gabriel only had the option of British clubs, and a number of United’s Premier League rivals were vying for his signature.
Following intervention from United’s Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, and Director of Football Negotiations, Matt Hargreaves, Gabriel has decided to remain at the club after initially looking set to continue his development elsewhere.
United’s academy is currently undergoing a restructuring following the double departure of U18 lead coach Adam Lawrence and Director of Academy Nick Cox, which may be a nightmare at United, considering how integral the pair have been to the club’s Academy in recent years.
Despite these changes, Wilcox and Hargreeves were able to convince Gabriel to remain at the club and that despite the changes, this would be the best place for his development. This decision could save United millions in the coming seasons, as Gabriel’s development may help prevent the club from having to sign fresh attacking talent.
Gabriel will have another opportunity to leave the club again when he turns 16. This means the club will have two years to assess whether he is a player who can break into the first team in the future.
However, the club will have to convince Gabriel that this is still the best place for his development, and it will be fiercer competition for United next time.
As Gabriel holds an Irish passport, from the age of 16, he has the opportunity to sign for clubs in EU countries, and he doesn’t have to wait until 18, unlike academy players who only hold a UK passport.
It isn’t an everyday occurrence for the director of football to intervene in an attempt to keep a 14-year-old at the club, so what makes JJ Gabriel so special?
Who is JJ Gabriel?
Branded “Kid Messi”, JJ Gabriel has been making waves in the United Academy despite only being 14 years of age. Before joining United’s academy, Gabriell had spells at three other Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham.
The centre forward’s natural talent has seen him quickly rise through the ranks. Gabriel has been playing above his age level and featured three times for United under-18s, scoring three goals in those games. Gabriel made his debut for United’s under-18s at 14 years 05 months 30 days old, making him the 2nd youngest player to appear for the academy side since 2006.
Gabriel has been driven from a young age, and in an exposé, Salt wrote on the youngster he revealed that “at the age of six, he spent a week focusing on his keepy-ups. By the end of that week, he could do 1,000 in a row”.
Although earning the nickname “Kid Messi”, Salt has shared that Gabriel has struck up a friendship with fellow academy player, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. The pair have previously been photographed together by the club holding up their United shirts in a brilliant advert for the talent that United’s academy is currently developing.
Although it may be a number of years before either of these two makes the first team, at his current rate of development, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gabriel become one of United’s youngest ever senior players.
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