Man United failure may have cost JJ Gabriel as Michael Carrick’s ‘plan’ emerges
JJ Gabriel has been making strides for Manchester United at age group level to catch the eye of Michael Carrick
JJ Gabriel playing for Manchester United in the Under-18 Premier League(Image: WM Sport Media – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United prodigy JJ Gabriel won’t be able to make his debut for the team this season due to Premier League rules. However, it could have been a different story had the team not suffered an early elimination from the FA Cup.
Players need to have turned 15 before August 31 in order to be registered for first team action in the Premier League this season. This means October-born Gabriel missed out by a matter of weeks.
The rules are different for the FA Cup, though, where no such age restrictions apply. The issue for Gabriel in that competition is United’s early elimination, with caretaker manager Darren Fletcher overseeing a third round defeat to Brighton.
Had they remained in the competition under new interim boss Michael Carrick, though, an opportunity might have presented itself to Gabriel. According to GiveMeSport, Carrick would have considered using the teenager in later rounds to give him a first taste of senior action.
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Gabriel has already trained with the first team, both under Carrick and under United’s last permanent manager Ruben Amorim. Both bosses have been willing to give minutes to academy stars in the league, with Amorim handing several substitute appearances to Jack Fletcher and Carrick giving the midfielder’s twin brother Tyler his debut.
Carrick has also watched Gabriel and his Under-18s colleagues in action in the FA Youth Cup. The 2010-born star became United’s youngest ever scorer in the competition when he netted the winner over Peterborough in round three and also scored in a victory at Oxford in the round of 16.
He had already reached double figures for goals in the Under-18 Premier League before that trip to Oxford. Highlights include a pair of hat-tricks, including one in a crushing 7-0 victory away at Liverpool.
United’s first team are unbeaten in six games under Carrick, all of them in the Premier League. Their most recent defeat was that cup tie against Brighton in January, when their former player Danny Welbeck scored for Brighton in a 2-1 Seagulls win.
Another of United’s academy stars was given minutes in that game, with Shea Lacey brought on for the final half-hour. However, the 18-year-old’s day ended early when he was sent off for a second yellow card.
“He’s disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it,” caretaker boss Fletcher said after the game. “There is no doubt about his talent and it was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea. He’s one of our most exciting young prospects and I’m sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future.”
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