On Saturday, he scored twice to help United’s under-18s defeat Middlesbrough 5-0.
A 14-year-old wonderkid who has been assured he will train with Manchester United’s first team this season has delivered another eye-catching performance at the juvenile level.
JJ Gabriel was the topic of social media in April after becoming the youngest player in United’s history to play for the under-18s.
The teenager came on in the second half against Leeds and scored twice in two minutes as Adam Lawrence’s team cruised to a 13-1 victory.
Gabriel, who has recently drawn interest from Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, is establishing himself at Old Trafford.
In fact, after making his Premier League Under-18 debut against Everton earlier this month, Gabriel met with first-team coach Ruben Amorim at Carrington and was assured he will train with the first team on occasion this season.
The teenager has had a memorable month, and on Saturday afternoon, he extended his winning streak by scoring two goals for the under-18s in a 5-0 victory over Middlesbrough.
Here’s how social media users reacted to his performance, as shown in the collection below.
One person said, “He’s actually a joke. Incredible,” while another added, “His ball striking is really wicked. He hits it so beautifully from both feet. His left foot, which is weaker, also has a cannon. Superstar.”
A third said, “The best game I’ve seen from him thus far.” Everything just comes to him, therefore it’s obviously a joke. There is no difficulty with the left or right foot. I adore how trigger happy he is in the box right now. He has excellent boxing reflexes, which is surprising for someone so young.”
A fourth wrote, “Yeah, he’s going be United’s youngest ever player,” and a fifth said, “Seriously, wtf guy. I watched it again. It appears they have cloned Neymar. The technical ability and confidence are off the charts.”
https://x.com/UnitedAnalyst7/status/1959246946549322059
Gabriel just inked a contract with Nike, which has been described as one of the most lucrative deals ever given to a player his age.
According to the Mail, Nike’s pitch included describing him as “next in line” to Cristiano Ronaldo’s kingdom. It was also suggested that he could become the future face of Nike’s Mercurial brand.
Alfie Brooks, Gabriel’s specialist one-on-one coach, has previously provided insight into the youngster’s talent.
“He was raw, but he was very competitive,” Brooks explained. “When he first started training, those were the standout characteristics.
“I’ve coached nearly 1,000 academy players over my time – four of them in Josh Nichols (Arsenal), Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), Sydie Peck (Sheffield United) and Tyrique George (Chelsea) have made their senior debuts – and JJ is the best I’ve ever seen.”
Brooks added: “He could walk into a Premier League changing room right now and technically outperform everyone. It wouldn’t even come close.
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