According to the Manchester Evening News, JJ Gabriel, the 15-year-old prospect of Manchester United, has requested to leave the club, a decision that has surprised club officials. Manchester United had previously devised an accelerated development plan for him and was preparing to include him in the squad for the match against Brighton, with the goal of breaking the record as the club's youngest ever player, but this plan will now not materialise.

Last week, Gabriel scored a hat-trick against Shabab Al Ahli's youth team. When he returned to the dressing room at Carrington, he still had a bright smile on his face. After the match, Adam Lawrence praised Gabriel and said he was currently in "good form". However, just an hour later, Gabriel cleared the content from his social media accounts.

His bio was stripped of all Manchester United-related content, leaving only "nikefootball". This suggested that things might be changing, so when the shocking news that Gabriel was asking to leave Manchester United emerged on Tuesday, it was not entirely without warning. However, the news still surprised Manchester United. Club officials were baffled by why Gabriel would submit a transfer request at this time, especially since Manchester United had planned to include him in the squad for the match the following evening, with a potential debut for the first team. Had he played, he would have become the youngest player in Manchester United's history.

Given the terms of his contract, Manchester United still believes the current situation can be resolved. Gabriel cannot currently be released, but he will have the opportunity to leave next summer, and the club does not want to lose him. After Gabriel submitted his transfer request, an industry expert suggested that the situation could still be calmed by one thing: money. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient to retain Gabriel and how much more Manchester United is willing to offer.

Manchester United believes the club has done everything possible to show Gabriel that he has a clear pathway to the first team. He has been developed through an accelerated development programme and has received unprecedented support for a player of his age.

All of this began the day Gabriel arrived at Manchester United. At that time, the club arranged for him to appear alongside Cristiano Ronaldo's son in the Old Trafford press room, which was just one of many special arrangements Manchester United made to make him feel valued. When Gabriel was very young, Manchester United even arranged for him to speak with Marcus Rashford. The club also arranged for him to meet Ruben Amorim at Carrington, have a brief conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, and on several occasions invited his family to the directors' box to watch matches.

After Gabriel met with Amorim, a photo of both of them circulated on social media. Amorim, then Manchester United manager, was unhappy that Gabriel's father publicly shared the photo. The photo was later deleted, but by then it had already spread widely online. Manchester United has always known that no matter how much the club does for Gabriel, it might not be enough to retain him. Gabriel's father is a former professional footballer whose career was cut short by injury, and he has always dreamed of his son one day playing for Barcelona and becoming a star.

Manchester Evening News revealed in April 2025 that Gabriel was about to debut for Manchester United's U-18 side at just 14 years old. A few months later, he came very close to leaving Manchester United. If not for a last-minute meeting, he would have already departed.

Shortly after that meeting, Manchester Evening News revealed that Manchester United's Football Director Jason Wilcox and Chief Executive Omar Berrada attended the meeting, demonstrating how highly Gabriel was regarded by the club's senior leadership. Given Gabriel's age at the time, what happened in that meeting was extraordinary. Manchester United reiterated to him that he could become a key figure for the club in the future, while also promising other special arrangements. Ultimately, all parties agreed that Gabriel would remain at Manchester United, and one of the key factors that led him to stay was his own desire to continue playing for the club.

Sources revealed that on that day, Gabriel had tears in his eyes, feeling very emotional at the thought of leaving Manchester United. Gabriel enjoys representing Manchester United and is also very close to some of his academy teammates. Manchester United staff have always been impressed by his conduct and humility. However, ultimately, a young player at the start of his career will always depend on his family and advisers.

Now, Gabriel's team has decided to attempt to leave Manchester United. They are free to do so next summer, but Gabriel's current contract expires at the end of this season, so demanding that Manchester United terminate his registration and make him a free agent now seems highly unusual. However, reviewing a series of earlier events, some clues can be found that may have prompted this request.

Manchester Evening News reported in March this year that Gabriel would have the opportunity to participate in first-team activities during pre-season. The youngster was included in the first-team squad for the first time when Manchester United travelled to Trondheim to face Rosenborg. Manchester United eventually won 5-0 against Rosenborg, but Gabriel did not play. However, he was still very excited to be with the team. Walking out of the stadium after the match, someone congratulated him on making the first-team squad, and he politely responded "thank you".

Later, he also had a special moment with his mother, taking a photo together in his kit. Michael Carrick subsequently introduced Gabriel as a substitute in the pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid in Stockholm, marking his first-team pre-season debut. This time, the youngster also seemed very happy. But for those around him, it was a different matter that this turned out to be his only playing time throughout the entire pre-season.

The various special arrangements Manchester United had previously made for him were important in demonstrating the club's appreciation, but actual playing time with the first team was even more crucial by comparison. There has always been speculation that Gabriel's father hoped his son could become one of the youngest players in football history.

Ethan Nwaneri made his Premier League debut at 15 years and 181 days, Max Dowman at 15 years and 235 days, and Jeremy Munga at 15 years and 271 days; these three are among the youngest players in Premier League history. Last season, Gabriel was not yet old enough to play in the Premier League. However, in Manchester United's first Premier League match of this season against Hull City, he was already 15 years and 320 days old.

As Hull City was winning 2-0 at half-time, that match was not a realistic or appropriate opportunity for Gabriel to come on as a substitute. But in the following match against Ipswich, it could be argued that it was an opportunity to give him playing time, as he was then 15 years and 328 days old. Had Gabriel come on as a substitute that day, he would have become the fourth youngest player in Premier League history, and those around him believe his talent is even greater than that of Nwaneri, Dowman, and Munga.

Manchester United believes the club has done everything possible to show Gabriel that he is an important part of the team's future plans. He had the opportunity to become the youngest player in Manchester United's history in Wednesday evening's match against Brighton, but he will no longer have that opportunity. However, at the same time, this also means that if Gabriel eventually leaves Manchester United, the compensation the club can receive will also be reduced.

Given that the Brighton match was originally the first opportunity to include Gabriel in a first-team squad, and the club was aware of the enormous media attention surrounding this player, Carrick had previously prepared to answer questions about Gabriel at the pre-match press conference. However, this press conference took place after the Manchester Derby. As Manchester United had just lost to Manchester City in a controversial match, no journalists asked about Gabriel at that time, and the situation of the 15-year-old was not the focus of attention temporarily.

But after the Brighton match, Carrick will almost certainly be asked about Gabriel's current situation. It seems somewhat extraordinary that the future of a 15-year-old player can cause such a stir, but JJ Gabriel is no ordinary 15-year-old player.

Traducido por IA.

¡El sitio web de AF ya está disponible! Consulta noticias, comentarios, detalles de partidos y estadísticas en tu ordenador. Visita: www.allfootballapp.com