JJ Gabriel is set to join Real Madrid in October after asking to leave Manchester United, a source has told 101 Great Goals.
The 15-year-old’s request to cancel his contract with immediate effect has been reported previously telegraph Tuesday.
It is believed that Gabriel made the decision due to a call from Madrid.
the Premier League The club is not obligated to accept the request and must agree to Gabriel’s departure in order for this move to take place.
But United’s hands are somewhat tied as they cannot sign Gabriel to professional terms until he turns 17 or make him a researcher until his 16th birthday on October 6.
This opened the door for Real Madrid to make their move and exploit a loophole that would allow them to sign players between the ages of 16 and 18 from a fellow European Union country. Gabriel holds an Irish passport, making him eligible.
This sudden development would be a huge blow to United, who saw Gabriel as the crown jewel of their youth squad.
The hugely talented striker, who can play up front, made his debut for United’s under-18s at the age of 14, going on to score 23 goals last season and becoming the club’s youngest ever winner of the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.
Gabriel was expected to make his first-team debut this season and was thought to be in contention to play against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday.
With talks with Madrid accelerating over the past week, this is not a possibility now.
Instead, London-born Gabriel, whose full name is Joseph Junior Andreu Gabriel, will move to Spain to continue his development at Madrid’s training complex, Valdebebas.
Manchester United fails to follow in Arsenal’s footsteps
It is not known what prompted Gabriel to want to pursue a deal with Real Madrid, but a lack of clarity over his chances at United could be the reason.
Gabriel has trained with United’s first-team Under-21 squad this season, but was not included in the club’s first-team squad for the Champions League.
Clubs participating in the competition can call up youth players from List B at short notice, but Gabriel was not eligible to do so until he turned 16, meaning he was unable to take part in the win at home to Azerbaijan’s minnows Sabah on Thursday.
Instead, Gabriel played against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League on the same day, scoring a stunning hat-trick in a one-sided win.
He deleted all references to United on his social media accounts after that match.
United’s treatment of Gabriel is in stark contrast to the way Arsenal treated Max Doman.
Doman was fifteen years old when he played with Arsenal in the match in which the team beat Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League last season.
Among his significant contributions when the Gunners won the Premier League last season, Doman scored at home to Everton in May to become the youngest ever Premier League scorer at 16 years and 73 days.
Giggs praises Gabriel and describes him as a generational talent
Gabriel’s reputation skyrocketed after joining United as an 11-year-old.
Ryan Giggs, who went from a precocious teenager to a 13-time Premier League winner under Sir Alex Ferguson, spoke of the striker in glowing terms. Rio Ferdinand Podcast Wednesday.
“He’s a generational talent,” Giggs said. “There is no point in going out on loan because he is in the best place and will be involved in the first team, so this experience is invaluable.
“(It’s) not just about the matches and training, but also about traveling with the team and seeing Manchester United’s expectations… The focus is very much on United. You have to get used to it.”
When Manchester City tried to lure Gabriel last summer, he chose to stay at United. But the attractiveness of Madrid led to a change in attitude.
