Manchester United have broken a shirt number record for a “special” starlet who Rúben Amorim is set to give a massive chance to next season.
Manchester United have included an Academy graduate in each and every one of their matchday squads for over 80 years.
The club is defined by its youth, whether they are at the top of the European table or not. And that looks set to continue going forward.
INEOS are keen to secure young and exciting talents, as shown by the recent signings of Chido Obi, Sekou Kone and Ayden Heaven.
But they will also be aiming to make the most out of the existing talent at Carrington and secure their futures at Old Trafford before they eventually push for first-team action.
United break shirt number history for starlet
JJ Gabriel is a name that many United fans are becoming familiar with, despite the talent being just 14 years of age. He has been labelled as ‘Kid Messi’ on social media and is one of the most highly-rated starlets in the Academy.
Gabriel, also described as a “special” talent, made his debut for the Under-18s last season and managed to score twice in a thumping 13-1 win over Leeds. He then played twice more before the end of the campaign.
There has been a lot of noise about the teenager potentially leaving the club this summer to join another European giant, with clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich interested, as well as all of the top Premier League clubs.
But it has recently been revealed that the club have convinced Gabriel to stay for the next two years, where he will then be offered a professional contract. United are confident that he will now stay after that period too, with Jason Wilcox playing a huge part in the talks.
Interestingly, Gabriel posted a picture on social media this week of him in the new United training gear, and he has been given the squad number of 95. This breaks the record for the largest squad number at United, as per transfermarkt, with the previous being Godwill Kukonki with no.87.
Potential hint at first-team involvement for Gabriel
Players are only usually given first-team numbers when they are close to the U21s squad and can be in-and-around first-team training.
Given that United are confident of keeping Gabriel at the club in the long-term, it suggests that the youngster, who is 15 in October, could make significant steps next term to being involved in training sessions with Ruben Amorim’s squad.
It is not unheard of for a youngster of that age to be in first-team training; Amir Ibragimov did exactly that when he was 15 and it looks like it could be the same for Gabriel.
Amorim would definitely be aware of Gabriel receiving a first-team number and it would not be surprising if he was involved in the developments regarding the youngster.
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While it looks like there will be training opportunities on the table for the teenager, any actual first-team appearances are likely too far away to speak about.
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