“Don’t see this as…”: Lineker explains how United fallout could affect JJ Gabriel | OneFootball

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The JJ Gabriel saga has dealt a hammer blow to Manchester United’s already disappointing start to the new season. The Red Devils are 13th in the Premier League table after a run of one win and two defeats in four games.

Michael Carrick’s men have also exited the EFL Cup after a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion. However, their frustrations have been compounded by JJ Gabriel’s surprise request to leave the club.

The 15 year old is considered a prodigious talent and was a huge hit with the club’s Under-18 side last season. Gabriel trained with the senior side several times last campaign and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

The teenager was part of United’s pre-season training and there was a belief that he would earn his official debut earlier this week against Brighton. Unfortunately, Gabriel made his intentions clear in the build-up to the EFL Cup tie and derailed the Red Devils’ plans.

England legend Gary Lineker has now offered his opinion on the matter.

United saga won’t help Gabriel

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker insisted that one must be careful while discussing Gabriel’s situation as the intricate details of the saga are unclear. He said: “I would say obviously we were treading carefully here because we don’t know the ins and outs of this.”

“There might be something that we didn’t know about. So, we need to be relatively cautious, particularly speaking about a young man, obviously prodigiously talented.”

Lineker, however, argued that the recent saga will not do Gabriel any good, adding: “So, we don’t quite know the circumstances. But I don’t see this as a good thing at this stage of anyone’s career, where you’re kind of thrust into the headlines before you’ve actually really played any adult football.”

“I know he’s been playing way beyond his years and he’s a super special talent. But we have seen super special talents that have never quite realised their potential.”

“Hopefully he does. I’ve not seen him play a full 90 minutes. I’ve seen him in lots of clips. He really does look very, very special.”

United would hate to see Gabriel leave

Gabriel registered 26 goals and four assists in 29 games last season with the Under-18 side, all but one of which were starts. He has started the new season with a bang as well, registering five goals and two assists in three games, two of which have been with the Under-21s.

JJ Gabriel Stats: 2025/26 Season

United, as such, would hate to lose such a generational talent, who could have become the next Old Trafford icon.

Final Thoughts

A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person suggests that Gabriel is already in talks with Barcelona as he decides on his next move. United, as such, appear to be losing ground in the race to keep the talented youngster at Old Trafford.