JJ GABRIEL has been tipped by Manchester United insiders to become their youngest EVER player.
The forward will not be 15 years old until October, but is already the talk of Old Trafford and beyond with his displays.
Now there are serious discussions at the club about how to handle his career, with a real expectation he will break the club’s record.
Keeper David Gaskell is still United’s youngest player at 16 years and 19 days but his historic outing dates back to 1956.
Academy product Gabriel is seen as a starter before that age and it seems a matter of time, with a chance of a debut NEXT term, possibly in a cup competition.
Gabriel is already a stand-out at Under-18 level, where United are trying but failing to keep him under wraps.
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These games are usually behind closed doors, but all who have seen him are struck by his ridiculous skills.
He netted a brace in just 25 minutes against the Leeds U18s during a 13-1 romp.
He also scored in a 4-0 win over the Stoke City U18s.
Gabriel has already played for England’s Under-15s and signed a long-term deal with boot manufacturer Nike recently.
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Ironically, he is a discovery of top scout Dave Harrison, who has just been made redundant by the Red Devils.
First-team manager Ruben Amorim has already shown he is ready to give the club’s youth a chance.
The Portuguese coach has handed chances to Chido Obi, 17, Ayden Heaven, 18, and Harry Amass, 18.
Obi made his debut for the club in February during the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham.
The striker has since made five more outings in the Premier League as well as in the FA Cup.
Amass has also become a regular in the first team, having played in five of Man Utd’s last nine league games.
He has also made two appearances in the Europa League as the club have reached the final against Spurs.
The final comes on Wednesday and offers both clubs the chance to salvage some joy from their miserable seasons.
The winner will gain passage to the Champions League for next season despite a lowly finish in the Premier League table.
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If Gabriel makes an appearance in the Prem next season he could break the record for the youngest player to ever appear in the competition.
The current record is held by Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, who was 15 years and 181 days when he played against Brentford in September 2022.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
