Manchester United have a rich history of producing top talent and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co have every right to be excited about one of their latest attacking prospects
JJ Gabriel
Manchester United are already excited about the potential of JJ Gabriel
Everybody knows that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been on a mission to cut costs and save money since buying into Manchester United last year.
The good news for the Ineos chief is that his club is renowned for producing plenty of serious footballing talent, some of whom continue to grace the pitch on a regular basis for the Red Devils under Ruben Amorim.
While the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have established themselves in United's current team, the next crop of academy stars are vying to make the breakthrough. And it turns out that United could have one of their most prodigious talents yet waiting in the wings in the form of JJ Gabriel.
Despite being just 14-years old, Gabriel is already making waves at Carrington, where he has now been promoted to the club's Under-18 team.
The youngster has really caught the eye playing with peers above his age group this term, scoring 15 goals and providing a further six assists across 13 appearances.
Gabriel, whose full name is Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel, is adept in a number of forward roles and can play as a striker and a winger, per The Manchester Evening News.
Comparisons to big names such as Neymar and Lionel Messi have already been made given Gabriel's flair and technical ability. Nike even said he was 'the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo's throne' in their bid to land a sponsorship deal with him, as revealed by The Mail.
Given his tender years, it will be some time before Gabriel is ready to play a role in Manchester United's first-team. But the fact he has consistently stood out in higher age groups - including during pre-season where he was given the Most Valuable Player award following a tournament in Hong Kong after wowing at U16 level - should stand him in good stead.
Manchester United's academy has produced plenty of top stars down the years (
Image:
(Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images))
Ratcliffe has previously expressed a desire to discover the next big footballing superstar rather than paying over the odds for a household name who is already in their pomp.
"In a way also, I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune trying to buy success. It's not that clever is it buying Mbappe, anyone can figure that one out," Ratcliffe told The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast last March.
"What's much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or the next [Jude] Bellingham or the next Roy Keane. The Class of 92 and Ronaldo was only 16 or 17 when he came. The solution is not to spend a lot of money on a couple of great players.
"They've done that if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes in the organising of the club. Then make can get recruitment right. It's such a vital part of a football club today, getting recruitment right."
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