JJ Gabriel’s magnificent Manchester United performances have raised conversation over a Premier League debut with Man Utd insiders make major talent claim.
Manchester United youngster, JJ Gabriel, was the star of the show in Man Utd U18S’ 1-0 win in the FA Youth Cup over Peterborough as he inevitably scored the only goal of the game.
The 15-year-old is widely considered one of the most exciting prospects in the world, with him taking only 21 minutes to open the scoring at the Stretford End with a tidy finish into the bottom right corner.
The youngster follows in the footsteps of the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, who all shone for United in the FA Youth Cup before making their mark in United’s first team.
Gabriel has become a more consistent feature in first-team training at Carrington as fans anticipate his first-team debut. As the forward turned 15 in October, he is not eligible to make a Premier League appearance this season, but the possibility of him becoming United’s youngest-ever player in the top flight is a definite possibility next season.
Gabriel’s coaches see him as a record breaker
There is major optimism around Gabriel’s career and what he can achieve in a Man United shirt, with some academy followers suggesting that he could be the best talent that United’s academy has ever seen.
However, it is crucial to keep him focused and not get overwhelmed by the growing expectations over his name.
As the Manchester Evening News reports, United want to temper expectations, but sources close to the youngster are not concerned about keeping him grounded, as he has a close group of family and friends who will help him not get carried away.
Nonetheless, United had to hold off interest for the teenager from European giants and persuade Gabriel to stay in the summer. This involved an eleventh-hour meeting being held at Carrington with both Jason Wilcox (Director of football) and Omar Berrada (CEO).
This shows how highly regarded the Englishman is amongst the club, and United acknowledged that the teenager could become the face of the club if he were to remain at Carrington.
Rúben Amorim must hold onto Gabriel ahead of European giants
Opportunities for rival clubs to recruit young talents from other clubs remain for academy players at age 14 and 16, so Gabriel needed to commit two more years to the club.
It is expected that attention from other European clubs will only grow as he gets older, especially with his European passport through eligibility with his parents.
Rúben Amorim made a personal effort to meet with Gabriel in a conversation which discussed the philosophy of the club, referring to Cristiano Ronaldo, whom Amorim played alongside for Portugal, as they spoke about the importance of work ethic at the club.
The road to the 15-year-old’s first senior appearance remains one with much anticipation, but for now, he can utilise the FA Youth Cup to launch himself into the conversation of the first teams fans saw with the likes of Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho after a successful 2020/21 campaign.
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