On Sky Sports' pre-match show, Manchester United legend Gary Neville discussed the potential departure of 15-year-old prospect JJ Gabriel. He said he cannot judge whether the player should be in the first team at this moment, but believes the way his team has handled the situation is far from ideal, emphasizing that young players should not be subjected to excessive outside pressure at this age.

Welcome back to Craven Cottage. We're continuing our preparations for Manchester United's away trip to face Fulham. Gary, it's great to see you again. Usually we meet at Old Trafford, but this time we've come all the way out here. Gary, lovely day weather-wise today, isn't it?

Gary Neville: The weather today is beautiful. Whichever team picks up three points today will have a wonderful afternoon, because both sides really need those three points right now.

Fulham are currently bottom of the table, and perhaps they can take some inspiration from Coventry's performance last night. That was a truly excellent match last night—I really enjoyed watching it, especially the final 25 minutes. During that period, Coventry played very well.

I even smiled when I saw Brandon Thomas-Asante. Of course, I know him well because of our connection to Salford City. He was absolutely brilliant last night, and I really enjoyed watching him. So last night's match was genuinely very entertaining, and Fulham can take some inspiration from it, because they certainly need to pick up points quickly. I'm somewhat concerned about Fulham. Not because I'm a Fulham fan, of course, but after watching their performances this season, I really do feel that way. Their attacking players are talented but inexperienced. The head coach is also clearly still adjusting to the Premier League.

The style of football they're playing now, I think, requires everything to be in exactly the right place—there's almost no room for error. We've seen this style before. I think teams like Sunderland, Leeds United, and even Hull City have shown that after promotion from the Championship, a more physical style of play really does suit the Premier League. Now, my sense is rather like going back to that style of play with constant short passes and the ball moving around continuously.

I know Fulham weren't just promoted from the Championship, but in recent years, teams that have ended up being relegated often play this kind of football. So I'm somewhat concerned about them, but today is a very important match for them.

For Manchester United, given what's happened over the past few weeks, this match has become far more important than it should have been.

Actually, a lot has happened at Manchester United this week. So I think we can go through the events at Old Trafford in chronological order. Let's start with the Manchester derby; we all know what happened in that match. A few days later, very significant news emerged concerning 15-year-old JJ Gabriel. As you know, he's a talented player who has attracted attention from several clubs. From what we understand, the key issue is that his representatives believe he should be included in Manchester United's Champions League A-list squad, perhaps given an opportunity in the match against FK Qarabag, and also receive more playing time during pre-season. But from Manchester United's perspective, they believe they've done virtually everything possible. For example, arranging for him to meet Sir Alex Ferguson, having him meet Rúben Amorim last season, and allowing him to train with the first team. So, Gary, what do you think about this? Of course, I know the core of this whole issue is a child who's only 15 years old, but from an outsider's perspective, what do you see?

First of all, I can't comment on whether he should or shouldn't be in the first team. I really can't, because I haven't watched enough of his matches. Obviously, he may have seen other players make their club debuts at this age and thought, "I should be there too."

As you've just said, the core of this issue is a 15-year-old child. I don't think his representatives really know what they're doing. Of course, if they want him to go to another football club, they're perfectly entitled to do so—there's no problem with that.

But clearly his team has chosen to go public with this during this week. Manchester United, of course, wouldn't want to proactively announce news like this, as it doesn't benefit them. So they've chosen to escalate the situation at this particular moment, and they know full well that Manchester United has just lost a derby and the club is under pressure. Yet they've proceeded anyway.

If that were my 15-year-old son, I wouldn't want him subjected to this kind of pressure. You know, over the past thirty or forty years, I've seen many young players aged 16, 17, 18 at Manchester United. Being under such intense pressure at such a young age is never a good thing. In fact, historically, such situations were usually avoided, and the same applies now. You do so whenever possible. For example, the way Arsenal handled Max Dowman—you try to keep these young players away from the spotlight, nurture them, and protect them.

But what his representatives have done this week is essentially pour fuel on the fire. I don't think that's the right approach. Of course, at some point in the future, they may choose to leave. But I don't think he can leave right now.

Actually, there are FIFA precedents that would allow him to join a European club outside the Premier League.

Immediately?

Once he turns 16. This would also require FIFA approval.

When does he turn 16?

I believe it's October 6th.

Oh, so he's approaching that milestone. Well, that makes sense. If this child really wants to play abroad, perhaps they need to start acting now. However, if I were them, I'd probably wait until the international break to handle it.

The international break is coming up next week. By then, the outside pressure won't be as intense. I think the timing of how they handled this mid-week was poor. And I can assure you, this doesn't help the child at all.

However, it has happened, and this is the current situation. This certainly doesn't help Manchester United either. Some people will want to know exactly what happened here, and I'm one of them. You know, Manchester United has always been a club that many academy players have chosen.

In fact, they've always believed in giving chances to young players and bringing academy graduates into the first team, and they're still doing so. Over the past twelve, thirteen, or perhaps even fourteen years, despite the club going through many difficulties, they've continued to develop young players and bring them into the first team.

But if this child wants to leave, if he's been swayed by other options, that's fine too. I just think that, in every respect, this situation could have been handled much better.

From Manchester United's perspective, I'm sure they're unhappy with what's happened this week. This also sends a negative signal to other young players. But if JJ Gabriel ultimately leaves, Manchester United will still be here for many years to come.

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