Ferdinand says Man Utd have a player whose ceiling is limitless, but the club have to be careful

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Utd Report

·29 September 2026

Ferdinand says Man Utd have a player whose ceiling is limitless, but the club have to be careful

Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United to stand firm with JJ Gabriel while the player tries to agitate a move elsewhere.

Even though the youngster has shown he has extraordinary potential, Ferdinand doesn’t want to see his former club get ‘bullied’.

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JJ Gabriel: The state of play

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

It’s now been over a fortnight since it was revealed that Gabriel had asked United to de-register him from their squad list with immediate effect.

He has since hired a qualified agent to replace his father, who previously held the role, in order to accelerate his attempts to seal a transfer to another academy.

“Who thinks that's good for the kid?” 😠 Where do you stand on the JJ Gabriel situation at Manchester United? 🤔 #jjgabriel #manchesterunited #united #sticktofootball #theoverlap
– Thursday, 17 September 2026

The 15-year-old has garnered interest from the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Despite flying to Catalonia to hold talks with Barcelona, Deco, the side’s Sporting Director, spoke out to squash the speculation that they were pursuing a deal.

Alas, Gabriel isn’t short of suitors across Europe. It’s now a waiting game for his camp as, when he turns 16 on October 6, he will be free to join a foreign club using his Irish passport, rendering United powerless.

Ferdinand reacts to Gabriel fiasco

(Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

United have been keen to try and amend the situation and convince the attacking prospect to stay, but their efforts have been to no avail.

Gabriel is said to have been disappointed with the amount he featured during pre-season, and wanted to have already made his first-team debut in the opening weeks of the campaign.

JJ Gabriel's stats at Manchester United: UYL:1 game3 goals pic.twitter.com/JZm0js46d5

When reacting to the ongoing saga on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “First and foremost, what a talent this kid is. It’s crazy.

“I don’t know where this kid’s ceiling is. I’ve seen him play, I’ve seen him train. I’ve listened to people who have coached him for a number of years, and there’s no doubt this kid is going to the top.

“I think we need to understand the reasons why he wants to leave the club. It’s not a 15-year-old making this call on his own. His family may have their reasons why.

“Are they being impatient? Are they thinking he should have got minutes already? Were they promised stuff and now they’re disgruntled?”

“I remember watching him in training, and he was doing shooting drills with Bruno Fernandes,” the ex-defender continued. “That’s the PFA Player of the Year and one of the best midfielders in the world.

“At 15 years old, that would have been enough for me. But maybe he’s got aspirations and wants to be playing already.

“But Manchester United can’t be seen to be bullied by a 15-year-old, no matter how good he is. So whatever the outcome, Manchester United have to remain strong in this.

‘There will be other kids using this as a reference point, so you can’t be seen to be weak as a football club. But I reiterate: I don’t know the full facts and I would love to.”