Man Utd face battle to keep 15-year-old JJ Gabriel as European giants circle
Manchester United are scrambling to persuade 15-year-old JJ Gabriel to stay after the forward signalled he wants to leave. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are in talks, but with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain monitoring, the club fear a forlorn task.
- Player: JJ Gabriel, 15, Manchester United forward
- Situation: Wants to leave; United trying to persuade him to stay
- Key date: Turns 16 on 6 October, when he could walk away
- Interested clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain
- Registration: Runs until the end of the season
- Last season's honours: Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year and United's Under-18 Player of the Year
Deal details
No transfer fee has been agreed. Gabriel is not yet the subject of a formal bid, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain are among the European heavyweight clubs monitoring the situation. United's chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are involved in talks they hope will result in Gabriel reversing his plan and choosing to stay.
The club have advised that Gabriel's registration runs until the end of the season. That may buy them time when it comes to potential moves to Premier League rivals, but does not prevent a switch to a European club. The worst-case scenario for United is that Gabriel walks away when he turns 16 on 6 October and they end up with no compensation for a player whose market value, even at this tender age, can be measured in millions.
The numbers
- 23 goals in the Premier League Under-18 competition last season
- 3 goals in the FA Youth Cup
- Named Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year
- Named United's Under-18 Player of the Year
- Played 8 minutes for the senior side against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm
- One of two United players not to come on against Rosenborg on 24 July, when Carrick used 11 substitutes
- United were 3-0 up at half-time against Sabah and had used all five substitutes by the 72nd minute
- United named a maximum of 25 players on their A list; Manuel Ugarte and Tynan Thompson were included
- Gabriel turns 16 on 6 October
- Louie Barry left West Brom for Barcelona at 16 in 2019; West Brom claimed €130,000 (£111,000) in training compensation; Barry joined Aston Villa six months later for just under £1m
- Jadon Sancho was 17 when he forced through a £10m move from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund
- Tynan Thompson, 18, was given a 45-minute senior debut against Leeds United at Croke Park three weeks after arriving from Tottenham
- Gabriel's mother is of Greek-Cypriot heritage; his father won two caps for the Republic of Ireland
Injury and availability
Midfielder Manuel Ugarte was named on United's Champions League A list but will not play until after the registration window opens again in January because of a knee injury. There are no other injuries or fitness issues mentioned in the source.
What was said
"The first thing in my job is not to ruin him. When you have a talented player like JJ, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity."
"The best 15-year-old in Europe."
Adam Lawrence's words frame the dilemma perfectly. United's coaching staff are wary of rushing a 15-year-old, yet their caution has fuelled the very discontent they hoped to avoid. The source's assessment of Gabriel as the best 15-year-old in Europe explains why Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG are monitoring him. United's fear is that patience elsewhere will look like ambition, and they will lose a generational talent for nothing.
What happens now?
Gabriel is not the first young player to find himself at odds with his club over their future direction. Jadon Sancho was 17 when he stopped training at Manchester City to force through a £10m move to Borussia Dortmund in the belief that he would play more often in Germany than under Pep Guardiola. Morgan Rogers was Louie Barry's team-mate in the West Brom side that reached the FA Youth Cup semi-final in 2019; within three months he had left for City, a move completed on his 17th birthday.
Sources feel that, in meetings with the United hierarchy that led to Gabriel committing his short-term future to the club last summer, promises were made over his career path that have not been kept. He did start to appear in senior training sessions, initially under Ruben Amorim and then Michael Carrick, but speculation around a senior debut last season, which could only be in the FA Cup, was doused by Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher, who had by now taken the senior team manager's role on an interim basis following Amorim's dismissal. Fletcher felt it was too early for Gabriel.
It had been anticipated that Gabriel would feature during United's pre-season programme. His absence from the trip to Helsinki for a meeting with Wrexham on 18 July was put down to the date he returned for pre-season training. He was part of every squad after that, but played only once, for eight minutes against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm. Did that lack of action sow the seeds of discontent? Gabriel travelled to Trondheim for a meeting with Rosenborg on 24 July. Carrick used 11 substitutes that day. Gabriel was one of two United players who did not come on. Five of those who did have left, either permanently or on loan.
It was noted that 18-year-old Tynan Thompson was given a 45-minute senior debut against Leeds United at Croke Park - another game Gabriel travelled to but was not involved in - three weeks after his arrival from Tottenham.
Nevertheless, it was felt Gabriel was likely to become United's youngest player this autumn - probably in the EFL Cup. While the third-round draw delivered an Old Trafford rematch with Brighton, United's Champions League schedule opened up another avenue. It is conceivable that Azerbaijani champions Sabah could be the least difficult home game Carrick's side have this season. United were 3-0 up at half-time and Carrick had used all five substitutes by the 72nd minute. But Gabriel was not among them. As with Max Dowman at Arsenal last season, Uefa's registration rules meant that, because he was 15, Gabriel could only feature if he was named on United's A list of players.
It is not entirely clear why that did not happen. United named a maximum of 25 players, but among them was midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who will not play until after the registration window opens again in January because of a knee injury. Thompson was also on the list.
United coaches have previously suggested that Gabriel is not yet at the physical level required to be a senior player. Sources close to the player reject this. Instead, they see how Arsenal gave Dowman his chance at 15 and Bayern Munich gave Lennart Karl his debut at 17, and wonder why United are not doing the same.
Why United's promises to Gabriel backfired
United's handling of JJ Gabriel has been defined by caution. The forward was named on the bench or travelled with the senior squad on multiple occasions, yet his only minutes came in an eight-minute cameo against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm. In the Champions League home game against Sabah, with United 3-0 up at half-time and all five substitutes used by the 72nd minute, Gabriel remained unused. As with Max Dowman at Arsenal, Uefa registration rules meant Gabriel could only feature if he was on the A list. United named 25 players, including the injured Manuel Ugarte and Tynan Thompson, but not Gabriel.
That decision, combined with a lack of pre-season action and the promotion of Thompson to a 45-minute senior debut against Leeds United, has convinced Gabriel's camp that promises made last summer have been broken. Sources close to the player reject the club's view that he is not physically ready, pointing to Arsenal's use of Dowman at 15 and Bayern Munich's debut for Lennart Karl at 17. With Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain monitoring, United's fear is that their caution has made the exit inevitable.
Talking points
- United's refusal to give Gabriel minutes against Sabah, when they were 3-0 up and had used all five substitutes, looks like the moment trust broke down.
- If Gabriel leaves on 6 October, United could receive nothing for a player one source calls the best 15-year-old in Europe. That would be a failure of youth policy.
- Arsenal gave Max Dowman his chance at 15 and Bayern Munich debuted Lennart Karl at 17. United's caution looks outdated next to those clubs.
- Darren Fletcher's claim that it was too early for Gabriel may have been correct on physical grounds, but it has cost United any chance of keeping him.
What happens next
Gabriel turns 16 on 6 October, at which point he could walk away from Manchester United. The club's registration runs until the end of the season, which protects them from Premier League rivals, but not from Real Madrid, Barcelona or Paris St-Germain. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are leading talks in the hope of a reversal. If no agreement is reached, United face losing one of Europe's most coveted teenagers for no compensation. The next fortnight is decisive.
Frequently asked questions
Is JJ Gabriel leaving Manchester United?
Yes, JJ Gabriel wants to leave. United are in talks to persuade him to stay, but sources close to the player believe promises over his career path have been broken, and Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain are monitoring.
When does JJ Gabriel turn 16?
Gabriel turns 16 on 6 October, when he could leave United. His registration with the club runs until the end of the season, but that does not prevent a move to a European club.
Why did JJ Gabriel not play against Sabah in the Uefa Youth League?
Uefa registration rules meant that, because he was 15, Gabriel could only feature if he was named on United's A list. United named a maximum of 25 players, including Manuel Ugarte and Tynan Thompson, but not Gabriel. The game was the Uefa Youth League win over Sabah FK, in which United led 3-0 at half-time and used all five substitutes by the 72nd minute.
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