It’s all become a bit of a circus regarding Manchester United’s JJ Gabriel, a boy of mere 15 now headline news amid his desire to seal a move away from Old Trafford.
The teenager is well within his rights to push for an exit, should he so wish, but for one so young to have been propelled into the limelight doesn’t exactly feel to his benefit.
Should he depart, the expectation and pressure will likely go through the roof at his next club, with questions likely to be asked regarding the handling of this situation by his camp.
In any case, the reality is that the youngster is unlikely to be seen in United colours again, after tearing it up in the youth ranks. How did it come to this?
Why does JJ Gabriel want to leave Man Utd?
United, a club who have readily raided rival clubs to poach teenage talents, may simply be reaping what they’ve sowed, but that won’t take the sting out of Gabriel’s looming exit.
|
U18 PL Top Scorers |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Club |
Goals |
|
T. Lamb |
Man City |
25 |
|
JJ Gabriel |
Man Utd |
23 |
|
M. Meade |
A.Villa |
20 |
|
J Sonni-Lambie |
Liverpool |
16 |
|
C. Ezenwata |
Chelsea |
15 |
|
A. Muslika |
Spurs |
15 |
|
H. French |
West Brom |
15 |
|
L. Hutchinson |
Leicester |
15 |
|
C. Dunbar-McDonald |
Man City |
15 |
In the U18 Premier League last term, the fleet-footed forward scored 23 goals, having also been the driving force behind the club’s surge to the FA Youth Cup final.
A reward came in the form of first-team minutes across pre-season, although there is a feeling that his brief cameo against Atletico Madrid wasn’t enough to whet the appetite.
By all accounts, Gabriel and his camp were disappointed at missing out on a chance to feature in the Champions League against Sabah, albeit with Michael Carrick and co having been planning to include him in the matchday squad against Brighton and Hove Albion, prior to this bombshell news.
Equally too, reports have since suggested that United’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson decline is behind the desire to leave, while in the view of Wayne Rooney, speaking on Stick to United, there’s long been a feeling at Carrington that Gabriel was destined to end up in Spain.
Talks have been held with the likes of Barcelona of late, with the hopes of ever seeing the teenager in a competitive game for United’s first team having surely come and gone.
Whatever way you cut it, this isn’t a good look for the INEOS regime, with further setbacks potentially on the cards too.
Why Man Utd could be facing a bigger blow than JJ Gabriel
It looks like things could turn a little toxic in the Gabriel saga, with Football FanCast exclusively reporting that United are considering legal action amid the involvement of super agent Ali Barat.
Barat is said to have been ‘instrumental’ in engineering talks between the player and both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, even with players under the age of 16 unable to be officially represented.
The suggestion is that, as it would have it, Gabriel is being lined up to join Barat and the Epic sports agency when he does turn 16, with it all feeling a little grubby, it must be said.
It could well become something of a sour, toxic situation, with INEOS likely to be hoping to avoid a repeat with regard to the club’s first-team stars, including Bruno Fernandes.
The talismanic skipper has long been the driving force at the heart of this United team, although there are creeping fears regarding his contract situation, with his existing £300k-per-week deal set to expire in 2027.
The Red Devils do hold the option of a one-year extension, but Fernandes’ future hasn’t yet been resolved, having come close to an exit a year ago.
By his own admission, the 31-year-old was firmly considering a move to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal, voicing his frustration at his feeling that the club were ready to sell him.
Thankfully, following talks with his wife and Ruben Amorim, Fernandes was persuaded to reconsider, subsequently embarking on a record-breaking Premier League campaign.
There were no such talks over summer, despite lingering speculation over a potential move to Turkey, yet amid a sticky start to the season on both a collective and personal basis, it might not be long before Fernandes’ situation becomes headline news again.
The lack of movement regarding a contract situation has to be a concern, with David Ornstein reporting earlier this month that negotiations over a new deal had reached an “impasse”.
“Bruno Fernandes continues to be in talks with Man Utd over new contract but there is no breakthrough, it’s said to be an impasse. United do have the option to extend for another year…”
It remains to be seen whether United’s joint-worst start to a Premier League season will have any bearing on Fernandes’ decision, the former Sporting CP star previously outlining his desire to win the major titles that have eluded him so far in Manchester.
Premier League or Champions League honours don’t appear to be on the cards any time soon, with there a very real risk that United’s key man flies the nest in the near future.
Of course, JJ Gabriel may well be a star in the long term, but he’s still a relative unknown at senior level, with the development of a young player never quite running smoothly.
In Fernandes’ case, he’s a genuine superstar, the reigning PFA Player of the Year. It’s hard to fathom what United would look like without him.
Losing him any time soon would prove an undoubted disaster.
