JJ Gabriel: Man United starlet being chased by Europe’s elite | OneFootball

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel is being closely monitored by some of Europe’s biggest clubs as they look to take advantage of the 15-year-old’s “flight status” risk next year, according to a new report.

A Rising Star

Despite not yet having sat his GCSEs, Gabriel is already a well-known name amongst the Red Devils’ fanbase after a series of scintillating displays for the under-18s side this season. Under the careful watch of Darren Fletcher, who briefly took charge of the first team in January after INEOS swung their scythe on Ruben Amorim, the North London native has gone from strength to strength against far older and bigger opposition defenders.

Gabriel’s prodigious talent, capable of juggling a tennis ball in a way few players could ever dream of handling a football, has never been in doubt. However, the manner in which he has adapted to the increased physicality directed towards him has shown that his appetite for the game matches his skill within it.

The Telegraph notes one example in a match against Middlesbrough when Ike Givenson, a hulking centre-back, thundered through the back of the youngster, leaving him a crumpled heap on the floor.

“Gabriel needed a moment to catch his breath, but as soon as the resulting free-kick had been taken, the Manchester United striker was back demanding the ball immediately, completely unfazed, like nothing had happened.

“‘Yes JJ, love that, brilliant son,’ came the shout from the sidelines from an admiring Darren Fletcher…On the pitch, you could sense Givenson’s deflation. He had been given the unenviable task of tracking Gabriel when the United player came short for the ball, but now he was hanging back a little. This was not a kid who could be bullied.”

An even better illustration of this mental fortitude came last season against Blackburn Rovers, when Gabriel dislocated his shoulder during a heavy collision, only to respond by popping it back in himself and going on to score a hat-trick. Silky feet combined with a steel mind is the textbook recipe for a world-class footballer, as executives both inside and outside of Old Trafford are acutely aware.

Eyed by Europe’s Elite

Regulations in academy football dictate that players can “serve notice” to leave their current club at the “end of their under-14 year” and “move freely” elsewhere in England, The Telegraph explains. This led to United having to fight “very hard” to stave off their local rivals after Manchester City made “serious efforts” to lure Gabriel to the blue half of the city last summer.

Despite the club fearing at one point “they might lose him”, the youngster ultimately committed his short-term future to the Red Devils, with sporting director Jason Wilcox understood to have been central to this sales pitch.

However, Gabriel turns 16 in October and holds an Irish passport thanks to his father, former Ireland international Joe O’Cearuill. This makes him a “potential ‘flight risk'” for United because he is allowed to play in the European Union from the age of 16, when otherwise he would have had to wait until 18.

Accordingly, German giant Bayern Munich are joined by Spanish rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in “closely tracking” the situation in hopes of striking a deal for one of the most exciting prospects in world football.

One of the key drivers in this success is a coach from his childhood, Alfie Brooks, who runs a futsal club in East London where Gabriel first honed his outrageous mastery of the ball. Speaking to The Telegraph, Brooks revealed, “JJ is a unique talent and different to anything this country has seen before.”

Final Thoughts

It makes sense that Gabriel’s football education began with futsal, rather than football, as this is a common path players in South America follow before applying their skillset to a full-sized pitch.

He has been dubbed “Kid Messi” and drawn a parallel with Brazilian superstar Neymar, a player who he has modelled his game on. But football is a vicious business where a prodigious talent, even one yet to turn 16, will become a priority for the game’s biggest clubs.

United will have to lay out a clear path of progression towards the first team in order to convince Gabriel his future should lie at Old Trafford, and not the Allianz Arena, Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou – which is exactly what they are doing.

The wonderkid has already trained alongside the senior side, with Bryan Mbeumo delivering a glowing assessment on how he adapted. The club are also believed to be planning to include him in their pre-season tour as a marker ahead of him potentially becoming the youngest debutant in United’s history.

The Red Devils are ready to go to war to fend off any suitors for their next superstar, with a local rival having already been defeated in battle last summer.

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