Rising star JJ Gabriel on brink of quitting Manchester United
Manchester United's highly-rated 15-year-old forward JJ Gabriel is on the verge of leaving the club following issues between his family and the team.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / Author: LHC88
Highly-rated 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel is on the verge of leaving Manchester United. The youngster enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, winning the Premier League Under-18 player of the year award and securing the club's own U-18 player of the year title.
Gabriel's trajectory had been steep; he made his senior debut in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid last month and scored a hat-trick in his UEFA Youth League debut last week. He was even tipped to make his competitive senior bow in Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash against Brighton.
However, the situation has taken a turn. It is understood that Gabriel did not participate in training with Michael Carrick's squad late last week, reportedly due to issues between the player's family and the club. The specific nature of these issues remains undisclosed.
Despite the uncertainty, Manchester United officials have not abandoned hope of resolving the dispute, as the player remains under contract until the end of the season. Club sources have admitted they are puzzled by the rapid development of the situation.