Manchester United’s academy looks set to produce another star with JJ Gabriel hotly-tipped for a bright future after impressing Old Trafford bosses despite being just 15
JJ Gabriel is showing talent beyond his years(Image: Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images)
A talented teen has tongues wagging around Carrington’s training pitches, and he’s already trained with Ruben Amorim’s first team at Manchester United. JJ Gabriel is just 14 and is already turning heads with his abilities.
The youngster has been dubbed ‘Kid Messi’ and likened to Neymar as interest in the attacker reaches fever-pitch. This season, Gabriel has been a regular in Darren Fletcher‘s under-18 side.
After grabbing a hat-trick against Derby County in August, Gabriel has netted seven goals in six games in the older age group. Some are starting to wonder when his Premier League debut will come.
But there will be a long wait as Gabriel is not permitted to feature until next season, even though Arsenal ace Max Dowman, 15, has featured for the Gunners. Premier League rules state that players must be 15 by August 31 to play in the same campaign, with Gabriel only turning 15 earlier this month.
The same cut-off is set to keep Gabriel out of FA Youth Cup action too. Players have to be born before the cut-off date of 31 August 2010.
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Nevertheless, Gabriel will be surrounded by United’s senior stars as he continues his development. The young goalscorer will train with Amorim’s side throughout the season and has participated in the club’s preparations to face Brighton.
Gabriel was handed a two-year deal at Old Trafford in June, and United’s technical director Jason Wilcox is understood to have taken an active role in convincing the teenager to stay. Amorim is also following his progress closely, having been impressed.
United appear to be on the charm offensive for their prodigious talent and Gabriel watched the opening game of the season, a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, from the directors’ box at Old Trafford. It is said that Gabriel has been offered his own box at United’s prospective £2billion stadium that the club hope to have completed by 2030.
Manchester United have a talent on their hands(Image: Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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United want to avoid any chance of Gabriel’s head being turned with clubs abroad able to soon eye his services. The 15-year-old is the son of former Republic of Ireland international Joe O’Cearuill and holds an Irish passport.
As a result, he would be allowed to move to a European club from the age of 16 rather than 18 years old, and the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are tempted, according to Goal.
Despite his tender age, Gabriel already has a sponsorship deal with Nike after strong competition from rivals Adidas.
Gabriel is a team-mate of Wayne Rooney’s son, Kai, who is also 15. The pair were stars of United’s under-19 squad that played in Mladen Ramljak Tournament in Croatia in August.
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