JJ Gabriel scored a hat-trick as Manchester United's under-18s thrashed Liverpool 7-0, with the 15-year-old replicating Newcastle United star Alexander Isak's trademark celebration
JJ Gabriel appeared to pull out Alexander Isak's celebration after scoring for Manchester United
JJ Gabriel appeared to pull out Alexander Isak's celebration after scoring for Manchester United
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Manchester United's young talent, JJ Gabriel, replicated Alexander Isak's signature celebration after scoring a hat-trick in an impressive 7-0 victory over Liverpool's under-18s. The 15 year old prodigy scored three times as Man United's youth team thrashed their Merseyside rivals on their home turf.
His most notable goal came from a dazzling solo run down the right wing, skilfully dodging several Liverpool defenders before blasting the ball into the net. The teenager then celebrated by pointing back over his shoulder - a perfect imitation of Isak's trademark move after scoring a goal.
The Swedish forward hasn't displayed that particular celebration recently, but it became quite famous when he used it after outjumping Virgil van Dijk to score in Newcastle's Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool. Gabriel had certainly earned the right to taunt his opponents after completing his hat-trick, bringing his total to 10 goals this season.
Following that resounding win, Darren Fletcher's squad moved up to third place, breaking a disappointing streak of five matches without a win. Despite Gabriel's young age, Ruben Amorim is fully aware of the youngster's abilities, having seen them first hand during senior training sessions last month.
Amorim said: "Like everyone, I know he is a really talented guy. We try to pick players for training that have talent, not just for me to see for tomorrow, but for them to feel what it means to be in the first team, the difficulties playing against our defenders, the difficulty and pace of our training.", reports the Mirror.
"If we can use every training we have to show the kids what they need to do to be here, it is important, not just for JJ but for everyone."
Given his ability, Gabriel may soon find himself included in senior matchday squads, although Man United are expected to take a measured approach to his progression. Had he been just a couple of years older, a first-team debut would quite possibly have already materialised.
Both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly be departing for AFCON, whilst Benjamin Sesko remains sidelined with injury for the coming weeks. Matheus Cunha was also absent from Monday's loss to Everton following a training ground problem, though he is anticipated to return for next week's fixture against West Ham at Old Trafford.
Due to these unavoidable absences, overlooked forward Joshua Zirkzee was handed a start and completed the entire match against Everton, with Shea Lacey also named amongst the substitutes. The latter represents another highly-regarded prospect from the academy.
Across eight outings for the under-21s in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy, he has been involved in five goals. The 18 year old is another emerging attacking talent whom Amorim has spoken about.
"I'm really happy with him," he said ahead of the Everton clash. "He struggled a little bit with injuries but they did a very good job balancing his body and you can sense he can manage more load during training.
"He has a lot of talent but when they come here they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared because our training is hard.
"In Premier League games the pressure is harder, so they need to be ready. When you call a kid up to the first team, they need to behave really well. This connection is really important. We are putting everything in place - a nutritionist for the academy starts now - in our club.
"That is something that should be basic. All these things we are doing, so I have more time with them and I'm more confident with them. When we put these kids in to play in the Premier League, they will struggle, but will struggle less I think."