JJ Gabriel has informed Man United of his desire to leave Old Trafford and is proceeding with registration cancellation procedures to become a free player.
This information appeared right before Man United's match against Brighton in the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup. Gabriel was expected by Michael Carrick to be included in the squad, thereby having the opportunity to become the youngest player in history to play for Man United's first team. However, that plan was cancelled after this young talent offered to leave the club.
Gabriel participated in Man United's pre-season preparation process and was given a chance to play. He entered the field for 8 minutes in the striker position in the friendly match against Atletico Madrid, thereby becoming the youngest player to ever appear in a non-official match of Man United. However, not being given many more opportunities in the pre-season period is one of the reasons why Gabriel wants to leave.
Born in London, Gabriel mainly plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder. Before joining Man United, he trained at Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers academies.
Gabriel began to attract attention at the age of 8 after videos showing personal techniques were spread on YouTube. Since then, this young star has been nicknamed "little Messi".
Gabriel joined Man United academy at the age of 11 and was quickly considered one of the most promising talents of the club. Last season, Gabriel became the youngest player to win the Jimmy Murphy Award for Man United's Young Player of the Year after scoring more than 20 goals for the U18 team. That achievement also helped Gabriel be honored as the Best Player of the U18 Premier League season.
This season, Gabriel was not chosen for Man United's first team in the opening match of the Champions League against Sabah but played in the UEFA Youth League. In the youth tournament, he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory and continued to attract attention.
Michael Carrick once described Gabriel as "a truly great talent", while Ryan Giggs called him "a rare talent". Gabriel is also an English international at many youth levels and has signed a long-term sponsorship contract with Nike.
Gabriel's sudden desire to leave Old Trafford could create a competition in the transfer market. According to British media, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have expressed interest in this player. Man City also had the opportunity to recruit Gabriel last summer, but he decided to stay at Man United after being guaranteed his future.
The "Red Devils" are still hoping to resolve the situation and persuade Gabriel to continue to stick with them. Premier League regulations require the cancellation of young player registration to have the consent of the club, player and parent or guardian. If the parties do not reach an agreement, the Premier League will make a decision.
Gabriel's deletion of all content related to Man United on his Instagram account further makes the future of this young talent a big question mark.
