Man United Wonderkid JJ Gabriel Blindsides Club With Shock Exit — One Day Before Becoming Their Youngest-Ever Player

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel has sensationally asked to leave the club, The Telegraph first reported.

Gabriel, 15, has formally stated his intention to depart with immediate effect and is seeking to cancel his registration with United in a bid to become a free agent.

Officials are unclear on the reasoning behind the decision and were caught off guard by the decision that sent shockwaves through the club, per The Athletic.

United are believed to be blinds and are said to believe the situation is salvageable and have not given up hope of persuading the academy sensation to stay.

The development has stunned Old Trafford bosses just a day before one of the biggest matches of his young career.

The club had been planning to include him in its squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, where he was in line to become United’s youngest-ever player, Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst said.

Gabriel joined United’s youth setup in 2022 and quickly stood out for his scoring output at age-group level, earning the nickname “Kid Messi” in the British press.

He was handed the club’s No. 95 shirt and became the youngest player to represent the club in unofficial matches during preseason.

His progress continued this season with United’s U18 side, where he entered the campaign among the Premier League U18 division’s leading scorers.

Last week, he scored a hat-trick in his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah. He has also earned senior international recognition, having represented England at Under-17 level.

Head coach Michael Carrick has called Gabriel “a really big talent,” per BBC, while club great and United’s all-time record appearance holder Ryan Giggs has described him as a “generational talent.”

Last season, Gabriel became the youngest-ever winner of the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award, given annually to United’s top academy performer, and was also named the club’s Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season.

He has previously drawn interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool, along with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and is said to be of particular interest to Barcelona.

Gabriel, who also holds an Irish passport, will become eligible to sign scholarship terms with United when he turns 16 in October, and the club has been reported to be preparing a pre-contract for professional terms to keep him beyond that.

He has also signed a sponsorship deal with Nike as his profile has grown.