Following a 4-1 victory over Oxford United in the FA Youth Cup, 15-year-old JJ Gabriel has been labelled as a ‘special’ talent on Manchester United’s books.
Whilst the Manchester United first team continue their fine vein of form in the Premier League, their academy prospects do much the same, with the young Reds running rampant in the FA Youth Cup.
Michael Carrick made the 160-mile round trip to watch the U18S in the Youth Cup against Oxford United, in which they heavily impressed.
Darren Fletcher’s side eased to a 4-1 victory, with the likes of JJ Gabriel, Chido Obi, Albert Mills and Noah Ajayi all notching a goal apiece.
As for the young Gabriel, he has caught the eye of the masses due to his immeasurable levels of talent, and his stunning strike against Oxford has only continued to rein in the plaudits.
‘Special’ Gabriel scores stunner
Gabriel played centrally as an attacking midfield for the young Reds, where he continually caused havoc for the Oxford backline.
The young attacker has gone viral over the course of the last 12 months, due to showing ability beyond his years. Even when playing against players three years his senior, he has continued to stand out.
Gabriel’s ridiculous dribbling abilities were on display during United’s Youth Cup bout, as he managed to evade multiple challenges before firing in a strike from range into the bottom right corner.
This performance has rightfully earned the youngster a plethora of plaudits, with Daily Mail’s chief sports writer, Oliver Holt, labelling Gabriel as ‘special’ on X.
Will Gabriel be due for a debut soon?
Given Gabriel’s impressive record for the United U18s, many fans are already demanding that the young attacker feature in the Reds’ first team, although this isn’t possible yet.
Due to the Premier League’s age regulations, the 15-year-old is ineligible to feature for the first team, as he only turned 15 in October, and would have needed to be 15 at the end of August to comply with the rules.
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Gabriel may have his sights set on becoming United’s youngest ever debutant, because, as it stands, David Gaskell is currently the youngest player to feature for the first team, having been 16 years and 19 days old when he appeared in the 1956 FA Charity Shield.
This means that Gabriel could feature in the first team as early as the opening games of the next campaign, which may allow him an eight-week window to break a record that has remained unbroken at United for nearly 70 years.
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