Barcelona pursuing JJ Gabriel

Manchester United’s academy has produced no shortage of hype over the years, but few prospects have generated quite the level of interest currently surrounding one teenager at Carrington.

JJ Gabriel first caught attention through an SV2 YouTube video titled “Eight-year-old Kid Messi is unbelievable,” which has since racked up close to five million views, long before he ever joined United’s academy in 2021.

His rise has been remarkable since. He was crowned Premier League Under-18s Player of the Season last term, recording 26 goals and 4 assists in 29 appearances as United reached the finals of both the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Cup.

Despite that promise, this news comes amid reports that JJ Gabriel has asked to leave United, requesting his registration be cancelled in a move that has caught the club by surprise.

It’s a situation United thought they had already put to bed.

Gabriel informed the club last summer that he intended to move on, only for an emergency meeting organised the day after he returned from holiday to change his mind, with officials presenting him a clearer pathway to the first team.

Barcelona pursuing JJ Gabriel

According to the Daily Mail, Barcelona have spent years pursuing Gabriel, with their interest in the 15-year-old dating back well over a year and showing no sign of cooling, even after that summer U-turn.

His Irish passport is understood to be a significant factor behind that interest, allowing him to play professionally within the European Union from the age of 16 rather than having to wait until 18 like most non-EU teenagers.

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have also been credited with interest at various points, alongside Manchester City, who were said to be seriously interested in signing him last summer before United’s intervention.

Ruben Amorim personally sat down with Gabriel during his time at the club to share his coaching philosophy, using an anecdote about Cristiano Ronaldo to underline the value of hard work, and the teenager has already trained with United’s first team on multiple occasions this year.

He made his Old Trafford bow for the Under-18s against Peterborough in the FA Youth Cup, scoring the only goal of the game, having been fast-tracked into contention after Amorim reportedly watched footage of him during the pre-season tour.

Gabriel is set to become eligible to sign scholarship terms when he turns 16 this October, with United previously preparing a pre-contract for professional terms to further protect their position.

Former United defender Wes Brown, who won the Premier League and Champions League at Old Trafford, has previously described Gabriel’s talent as “crazy,” while stressing that timing his introduction to senior football correctly will be crucial to his development.

Whether United can pull off a second U-turn remains to be seen, but with Barcelona’s interest as strong as ever, this latest twist could prove far harder to reverse than the last.