Manchester United‘s academy has produced no shortage of talent down the years, but few were surrounded by as much excitement as 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel.
Gabriel was Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year last season and had been tipped to become United’s youngest ever player this autumn, with sources at the club describing him as “the best 15-year-old in Europe”.
He scored a hat-trick on his Uefa Youth League debut only last week and looked set for a senior bow against Brighton in the Carabao Cup.
|
JJ Gabriel career so far |
Appearances |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
U18 Premier League |
26 |
26 |
3 |
|
FA Youth Cup |
6 |
3 |
1 |
|
Premier League 2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
UEFA Youth League |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Reports emerged 24 hours before the clash with the Seagulls that Gabriel has sent United formal notice that he wants to cancel his registration with immediate effect so he can leave as a free agent. The club can challenge that request, and given he doesn’t turn 16 until 6 October – the age at which he’d be able to sign a scholarship deal – they still have time to try to fix things.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are said to be personally involved in talks with his family, but the youngster is attracting attention from some of the biggest clubs on the continent.
“All the clubs, top clubs, not only in England but also from other European countries, are pushing for JJ Gabriel and monitoring the situation,” Fabrizio Romano explained earlier this week.
“Real Madrid is a club we have to take into consideration, Barcelona is a club we have to take into consideration, so these two clubs are looking at the situation of JJ Gabriel for sure, 100 per cent. I can guarantee that.
“Then also other clubs, like PSG, Bayern Munich, made some calls to understand the situation of the boy, but that’s it at the moment, so it’s a very open situation. I would keep a close eye to Spain.”
Man Utd’s contract demand to JJ Gabriel
That kind of competition for a 15-year-old is almost unheard of, and it underlines just how highly Gabriel is rated across Europe. Losing him for nothing – or watching him join a rival superpower – would be a bitter pill for United, especially given how central he was expected to become to the club’s next generation.
But according to Romano, United’s approach to keeping hold of him isn’t about matching offers or throwing numbers at the family. It’s about attitude. Speaking on his latest YouTube video, Romano explained exactly what United are looking for from the player and his camp.
“What United want to make sure is if there is even a small chance to continue together with JJ Gabriel and to continue the situation, to keep him at the club, it has to be with the right attitude and the right feeling.
“Man Utd don’t want to force anyone, obviously they want to keep the boy, obviously they don’t want to lose one of the best talents in the world at 15 years old, but at the same time, they don’t want to force ANYONE.
“So what they will do is to try and have a conversation with the family of the player, with the agents of the player, with the player himself to try and sort the situation, so Manchester United are not giving up.”
Quite simply, United want Gabriel to stay because he wants to stay, not because the club has talked him or his family into it. It’s a stance that echoes the way Sir Alex Ferguson used to talk about who he wanted wearing the shirt.
“I tell players that hard work is a talent, too,” the legendary United boss once said.
“They need to work harder than anyone else. And if they can no longer bring the discipline that we ask for here at United, they are out. I am only interested in players who really want to play for United, and who, like me, are bad losers.”
United’s message to the Gabriel camp appears to follow that exact logic – talent alone isn’t the deciding factor, and the club would rather lose a prodigy than force a reluctant one to stay.
