JJ Gabriel, 15, set for shock Man Utd exit despite first team debut promise
Red Devils shocked as teenage sensation asks for departure on the eve of his first team debut
A 15-year-old Manchester United starlet, dubbed the 'Kid Messi', has shocked Old Trafford by asking to leave ahead of his first-team debut.
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JJ Gabriel has told the club he wants to rip up his paperwork and become a free agent, according to reports, despite being lined up for a Carabao Cup match against Brighton this week.
Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel, as is his full name, won the Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year award last season, despite only being 14 for some of the time, and was a big part of Michael Carrick's plans.
He played for the Red Devils in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid and scored a hat-trick on his Uefa Youth League debut last week.
However, he has been missing training since last week, and United's chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are said to have been in contact with the player's family.
Gabriel, who turns 16 in October, has not yet signed a scholarship agreement but is registered until the end of the 2026-27 season. His performances for the junior team have seen him dubbed "Kid Messi" and "the best 15-year-old in the world".
He has not commented on his reason for wanting to leave, as he had been given first-team training opportunities by Carrick and his predecessor, Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United did not include him in their Champions League A squad, and instead gave berths to Manuel Ugarte, who will be injured until January, and the unproven 18-year-old Tynan Thompson.
Adam Lawrence, United’s lead under-21 coach, told the Guardian: “JJ is surrounded by people that really, really believe in him from the top of the club right the way through."