JJ Gabriel and why Manchester United are not the party at fault in this situation

Manchester United club officials and fans alike were taken by shock and confusion after it has emerged that 15-year-old teen prodigy JJ Gabriel has asked the club to leave and cancel his registration. 

Gabriel, who has been making waves with his performances in the age-groups and only recently scored a hat-trick against Sabah FC in the UEFA Youth Champions League, also refused to train with the side on the eve of their Carabao Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion. The plan was to make him the youngest player in the club’s history by giving him a run-in in the competition, but this latest development means that he has been left out of the squad.

The news has come as a surprise to United, especially when they believe that they have everything that is required to give him a bonafide pathway to the first team. While the club believe that the situation is still redeemable, things are pretty delicate as they stand as Gabriel’s entourage are pressed on making sure that he gets his wish to leave the club that he joined as a 9-year-old.

Now the news has obviously garnered a lot of attention on social media, with fans quick to blame the club for the situation they find themselves in. Words like “incompetent”, “mediocre”, and “unserious” have been dominating the discourse surrounding Manchester United given their standing as a club that prides itself on its academy and its ability to churn out players from the academy to the first team on a regular basis.

However, for all the vitriol that the club has been receiving, this is the last reason that the club should receive criticism for, because they did everything right in handling Gabriel’s development as a prospect and as a player.

Managing young players is not an easy task to do. Every young player believes that they are ready for the first-team to make an impact. But the jump from playing in age-groups to actual first-team football is massive. While there is no doubt that Gabriel is indeed talented beyond his years and has the skill to make it at the highest level, first-team football is an entirely different kettle of fish.

United have done everything right in handling his trajectory. Not many academies in Europe, let alone the Premier League, are known for churning out academy graduates with as much frequency as Manchester United, bar perhaps Barcelona and Ajax. So safe to say that the club knew what they were doing when it comes to Gabriel and his development.

They made sure he had a clear pathway to the first team by introducing him to then coach Ruben Amorim. He was afforded training with the first-team, with Bruno Fernandes in particular taking a liking to him. He and his family were given special privileges like watching United games at Old Trafford in the director’s box, where he was given an introduction to Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Most importantly, he was also given enough social media exposure, and was also in the squad for the pres-season tour. It also does not help that his father, who also represents him, has a rather notorious reputation about him in terms of dealing with him. 

Man United believe that Gabriel is on the verge of breaking into the first-team. There was a plan laid out where the Brighton game would be the springboard from where he begins his journey as a first-team Manchester United player. But the news and the environment surrounding it has put a spanner in the works as of now.

While you might call Manchester United wrong for a number of things in terms of the way they handle their operations, the JJ Gabriel situation is definitely one you cannot fault them for by any means.