1 week ago
7
A gifted teenager is causing a stir on the training pitches at Carrington, having already trained with Ruben Amorim's first team at Manchester United.
At just 15, JJ Gabriel is making waves with his impressive skills. The young talent has been nicknamed 'Kid Messi' and compared to Neymar as interest in the forward reaches an all-time high. This season, Gabriel has been a consistent presence in Darren Fletcher's under-18 side.
After scoring a hat-trick against Derby in August, Gabriel has bagged seven goals in six matches in the older age group. Many are beginning to speculate about when his Premier League debut might occur.
However, there will be a significant wait as Gabriel is not allowed to play until next season, despite Arsenal's Max Dowman, also aged 15, having already featured for the Gunners.
Premier League regulations stipulate that players must be 15 by 31 August to participate in the same campaign, with Gabriel only celebrating his 15th birthday earlier this month.
The same cut-off date is set to exclude Gabriel from FA Youth Cup action as well. Players must be born before the cut-off date of August 31, 2010.
Nonetheless, Gabriel will continue his development surrounded by United's senior stars. The young striker will train with Amorim's squad throughout the season and has been involved in the club's preparations for the match against Brighton.
Who is JJ Gabriel?
Gabriel was awarded a two-year contract at Old Trafford in June, with United's technical director Jason Wilcox reportedly playing a key role in persuading the young star to stay. The teenager has also caught the eye of Amorim, who is closely monitoring his progress.
The Red Devils seem to be pulling out all the stops for their promising talent, with Gabriel watching the season's opening match, a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, from the directors' box at Old Trafford.
It's rumored that Gabriel has been offered his own box at United's proposed new stadium, which the club hopes to have finished by 2030. United is keen to keep Gabriel focused and ward off interest from foreign clubs who could soon be vying for his services.
The 15-year-old, son of former Republic of Ireland international Joe O'Cearuill, holds an Irish passport.
This means he could transfer to a European club from the age of 16 rather than 18, and big names like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are interested, according to Goal.
Despite his young age, Gabriel already has a sponsorship deal with Nike, having beaten off stiff competition from Adidas.
Gabriel shares the pitch with Wayne Rooney's son, Kai, who is also 15. The duo were standout performers in United's under-19 squad that competed in the Mladen Ramljak Tournament in Croatia in August.
English (US) ·