Manchester United's U18s have been in excellent form and claimed another big win in the hunt for the league title on Saturday
Kai Rooney got on the scoresheet.(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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JJ Gabriel, Kai Rooney and Jim Thwaites were on the scoresheet as Manchester United Under-18s won 3-0 against Blackburn on Saturday. The U18s are fighting Manchester City for the league title, and the win against Blackburn means both Manchester clubs have the same number of points.
Gabriel opened the scoring at the start of the second half against Blackburn and Rooney came off the bench to extend the advantage. Thwaites scored a stunning free-kick to make it 3-0.
City have a game in hand to play, but Darren Fletcher's side have been in superb form in 2026, meaning the title race between Manchester clubs could go down to the final day.
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Gabriel has been the U18s' star this season, scoring 21 goals in 23 appearances across all competitions.
The youngster is not old enough to play in the Premier League, but has trained with the first-team on several occasions.
Carrick was recently asked about the 15-year-old and said: "He's doing really well, JJ.
"We've got some really good young players in the academy and we try and get the younger players up [with the first-team] as much as we can.
"We're always trying to give that exposure to the players to come and train and feel it."
Carrick continued: "JJ is a big talent, it's pretty obvious to know that and he's had a really good season for the U18s.
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"We obviously think an awful lot of him, but patience is important in managing everything that comes with that and working with him in development as we do with all the different younger players and picking the right moment to step up.
"What he's done when he's trained, he's done well as you'd expect and it's good to have the younger players come up with us."
United have been keen to show Gabriel a pathway to the first-team, and the youngster and his family were invited into the Old Trafford directors' box for the opening game of the season against Arsenal.
Wayne Rooney's son, Kai, is also attracting attention as he progresses in the academy.