JJ Gabriel has been described as the crown jewel of Man Utd’s academy, and Michael Carrick has made the perfect latest decision for him.
The academy has been Michael Carrick’s focus since becoming the Man Utd manager, even if a light schedule hasn’t allowed him to give as many chances.
JJ Gabriel will be at the forefront of that queue as soon as he is eligible next season, but in the meantime, he’s tearing it up for the U18s side.
With that perspective, Carrick has made the perfect decision with Gabriel that shows he’s managing him perfectly.
JJ Gabriel celebrates scoring at Old Trafford in FA Youth Cup game
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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JJ Gabriel celebrates, in Man Utd red kit
Photo by Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images
Michael Carrick’s perfect JJ Gabriel decision
Since Gabriel can’t debut this season, the last thing United need to do this season is feed the frenzy around him that he simply can’t quieten.
The best thing they can do is keep him away from the spotlight as much as possible, let him develop with the academy, and then trust him next season.
He has already trained with the first team, and questions are asked about him in press conferences.
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So, when Man Utd’s travelling squad for the Ireland camp was announced, the decision to exclude Gabriel made perfect sense.
Carrick could have easily fed the frenzy and made Gabriel a headline name because there’s no such thing as ineligibility for a training camp.
However, he chose to keep the focus on the players who will play a part this season, and padded up the squad with some youngsters depending upon availability.
It’s a guarantee that as soon as Gabriel was included, the season and the camp’s ramifications would have become secondary to watching a player who can’t even make his debut this season.
It’s the right call to exclude him, and Carrick has managed to make it a non-story by managing him perfectly.
Man Utd will take the next step with Gabriel in pre-season
Gabriel’s exclusion from the training camp squad isn’t a marker of the club’s lack of trust in him.
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JJ Gabriel
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If anything, it shows how much they trust him because they want to protect him from the spotlight that is in his future.
It’s basically a guarantee that he will be included in the pre-season squad for Man Utd ahead of the 2026/27 season, which will be his first proper foray into senior football.
He will be exposed to the “casual audience” of fans, while those who have raved about his talents for a while will get to see him in action in front of a large viewing audience.
His talent makes that spotlight inevitable, so the longer United can manage it, the better it is for them.
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