Mbeumo explains what separates ‘special’ Man Utd wonderkid JJ Gabriel from other young players | OneFootball

Bryan Mbeumo believes JJ Gabriel “has something special” as he picked out what sets the Manchester United wonderkid apart from other young talents.

Gabriel became the youngest-ever player at 14 to play for the clubs Under-18s, scoring twice against Leeds, and was the standout player in his first full season for the academy, scoring 20 goals in 22 appearances.

The now 15-year-old was included in the senior training session on Thursday as Michael Carrick prepared his side for the crunch clash with Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.

Gabriel isn’t eligible to make his Premier League debut until the start of next season due to age restrictions but after making up the numbers in first-team training on a number of occasions this season, Mbeumo is hugely impressed with what he’s seen from the teenager.

Mbeumo said in an interview with Zack En Roue Libre: “He’s strong, the little guy is strong.

“Yeah, he’s strong, he’s really something, frankly. He’s really strong for, I don’t know how old he is, I think he’s 15.

“You feel that he’s bound to be a little kid but he trains quite a bit with us and actually you see, you can feel that the little guy has something special.

“Of course, and you also see it when he plays already he’s not even with the guys of his generation, and what he does you feel it’s easy for him.

“He’s actually kind of a winger, he’s a dribbler and even in front of the box, I still think he’s good, honestly. Even when it’s one-on-one, often when you’re young, one-on-one in front of the goalkeeper, you stutter but I think he already has good blood.

“We saw him score some nice goals, he has a good shot. Technically he’s strong.”

Gabriel was first promoted to first-team training back in October, and then manager Ruben Amorim revealed why he felt it was important for academy stars to be given that chance.

“Like everyone, I know he is a really talented guy,” Amorim said.

“We try to pick players for training that have talent, not just for me to see for tomorrow but for them to feel what it means to be in the first team, the difficulties playing against our defenders, the difficulty and pace of our training.

“If we can use every training we have to show the kids what they need to do to be here, it is important, not just for JJ but for everyone.”