Manchester United’s senior team is taking encouraging steps towards eventual contention but their academy is pumping out some real gems for the future.
It is impossible to talk about Man Utd’s academy setup for the 2025/26 season and not mention JJ Gabriel, the 14-year-old prodigy who is turning heads at the club.
After committing to staying at Man Utd, Gabriel has been on a fast-track path, becoming a regular for the U18s and scoring for fun.
Now, it has emerged that Man Utd think they have another wonderkid in the ranks who could be similar to Gabriel, and it’s a familiar name for many.
A general view of the Carrington Training Ground with Manchester United badge.
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Man Utd excited by Kai Rooney’s potential
If Man Utd fans want to feel old, they only need to look at Kai Rooney and his exploits for Man Utd’s youth teams in the last year or two.
Wayne Rooney’s son, as he was widely known earlier, is becoming his own man now by impressing in the youth ranks.
Kai Rooney’s exploits at the NI Super Cup recently put him firmly in the spotlight, and it was a proud moment for Wayne Rooney to be asked about his son.
The Super Cup form seems to have made some minds up in Carrington, as United Scout, reliable for news on the Man Utd academy, reports that Rooney Jr is now seen as someone who could be on the same level as Gabriel.
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Considering Gabriel has been dubbed “Kid Messi” at times, and has already taken the U18s by storm, that’s the highest praise a United academy prospect can get right now.
🚨 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘: Kai Rooney (15) is set to travel with the U19 squad to Croatia for the Mladen Ramljak tournament. 💥🔴
Kai is another player similar to JJ who is extremely highly rated already by key figures. ✔️
Club plan is to fast track the players they believe could… pic.twitter.com/2KtC0rNO0U
— United Scout (@unitedsc0ut) August 5, 2025
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The report states that Rooney will travel with the U19s squad to Croatia for the prestigious Mladen Ramljak tournament.
This is a part of Ineos’ new policy where exciting young players will be fast-tracked levels beyond their age group if they continue to impress.
Gabriel is already there, and Rooney might join him in the U18s permanently by the time this season ends.
JJ Gabriel is the crown jewel of an exciting crop
Rooney stood out in the NI Super Cup, but it was a marker of how far along Gabriel is already considered that he wasn’t even a part of the squad.
Instead, he’s already a full-time member of the Man Utd U18s squad, and remains the crown jewel of an exciting crop of players coming through.
There are many familiar surnames, with the likes of Carrick and Fletcher also having their sons in the academy, who are exciting prospects.
With Ruben Amorim not afraid of giving chances to youngsters as long as they apply themselves, and the motto of “Youth. Courage. Success.” embroidered in the club’s legacy, the future is bright.
A talent like Gabriel is generational, and if United believe they have two, with Kai Rooney also capable of reaching similar levels, then United have struck gold.