JJ Gabriel asks to leave Manchester United a day before Carabao Cup tie with Brighton
Manchester United's 15-year-old academy forward JJ Gabriel has asked for his registration to be cancelled, a day before he was due to be included in the first-team squad for the Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Club officials said they were shocked by the request and said they were unsure what had prompted it.
Gabriel could have become United’s youngest player in that cup tie, but the club say he has formally asked for his registration to be withdrawn. United emphasise they believe they have shown Gabriel and his family a route to the first team, pointing to meetings involving Ruben Amorim, when the Portuguese was head coach, and Sir Alex Ferguson. The club say the matter is rectifiable given the time remaining on Gabriel’s deal and that he has a contract running until the end of the season, meaning he cannot be deregistered despite his request. Gabriel cannot sign a professional contract until he turns 17 in October next year, although he will be eligible to sign a scholarship when he turns 16.
A graduate of United’s academy since the age of 11, Gabriel has scored freely for the youth sides and registered a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut in a 5-0 win against Sabah last week. He has been used in older age groups, scoring 26 goals in 29 games last season, and has made two appearances for England Under-17s. Gabriel is also the most recent, and youngest, winner of United’s Jimmy Murphy young player of the year award and has regularly trained with the first team.
After the 5-0 win over Sabah, United’s lead under-21 coach Adam Lawrence described the environment around Gabriel and the club’s approach to his development, saying: "JJ is surrounded by people that really, really believe in him from the top of the club right the way through. He’s been at the club for so long. He’s got real good relationships with the players, with the staff, so I think over the course of time obviously that helps as well. "At the moment, just in terms of his game, his games programme, his training programme, it’s about making sure that he’s getting the right exposure across different levels. We’re obviously not perfect but it’s definitely something we put a lot of thought into."
The club's immediate focus is the Carabao Cup tie with Brighton, with interim manager Michael Carrick addressing the aftermath of Sunday’s City defeat and a controversial VAR decision that allowed Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute strike to stand after the VAR judged Enzo Fernández was not interfering with play. Pro Ref admitted the goal should not have been allowed and said that Matt Donohue, the VAR, had made the wrong decision; Donohue has been stood down for this weekend's Premier League action. Speaking before Pro Ref’s statement, Carrick said: "It does give you something, when something like that happens, to use moving forward. The players have got an edge. They've shown that to me since I've been here. We've had setbacks, and they've bounced back particularly well and had some really good performances and good results." United have taken four points from their first four games. Carrick added: "We've got to move on [from City loss]; we've got to win games. We have done – we've won a lot of games, and we need to continue to do that. I understand it's a new season, and the points tally right now is not what we want it to be. I'm not hiding from that, but it's more of about getting back to winning games, that feeling, getting the habit. It's easier said than done, but we're capable of it." Luke Shaw may be available after a knock.
Reports last year linked Gabriel with Barcelona and Manchester City, with suggestions his family were planning to move him, a development cited in media coverage of the youngster's situation.
United will host Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton side on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup third round, while the club maintain Gabriel remains under contract until the end of the season and cannot be deregistered despite his request.