Michael Carrick is fixing a lot of things at Man Utd in quick time, but the most important one might be happening behind the scenes with JJ Gabriel.
Nobody thinks for a moment that JJ Gabriel, as talented as he is, will be playing for the first team even next season, as he’s not even eligible this season.
However, it doesn’t make his talent any less exciting, as evidenced by Man Utd doing their all to tie him down last summer and then fast-tracking him.
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Michael Carrick is refreshing the mood in the senior team, but a recent comment by Gabriel’s father seems to hint that he’s also helping the club avoid a disastrous scenario.
Michael Carrick, caretaker head coach of Manchester United, celebrates with Matheus Cunha of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 17, 2026
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Man Utd were looking at a disaster JJ Gabriel scenario
Gabriel’s talent is making everyone giddy at Carrington, but it also means that they will have to fight off competition from every club in world football for his signature.
Even in the summer, tying him down was a huge boost because everyone, from Barcelona to Real Madrid and Man City were vying for his signature.
After tying him down until he is 17, United will face another battle as he will be eligible to reject scholarship terms with United and sign a professional deal elsewhere.
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It’s what United took advantage of with Chido Obi when they signed him from Arsenal, and Gabriel has garnered ten times the interest Obi did.
At such a delicate time, the last thing they needed was a first-team manager who was actively calling out the academy, playing a formation where Gabriel’s best position didn’t exist, and couldn’t back up either of those two stances by winning games.
That’s the position United were in with Ruben Amorim, and even though Gabriel’s family or the player himself never caused any disruption, his father’s recent tweet shows things were trending in a disastrous direction for United.
Michael Carrick is helping Man Utd avoid Gabriel disaster
Carrick is not only fixing Amorim’s errors on the pitch, but JJ Sr’s recent tweet shows he’s also restoring the club’s DNA off the pitch.
After United’s 3-2 win against Arsenal, Gabriel’s father tweeted, “This is Manchester United welcome back. This is the identity play to win.”
There is no stopping JJ Gabriel right now!
JJ Gabriel 6-0 graphic
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That is as close as it gets to a family member making their annoyance clear at the previous regime, as it can possibly get without stating it explicitly.
All of a sudden, youth players see a pathway to the first team, Gabriel sees the left wing position waiting for him in the first team if he proves himself, and there’s a sense of harmony at Old Trafford.
For an off-the-cuff attacking talent like Gabriel, this is all you can possibly hope for, and none of it was present under the previous manager.
Carrick is bound to lose a game at some point, but whether he stays at United after this season or not, he’s saving the club from a Gabriel disaster that could have seen them get trapped in a “What if” scenario for years to come.
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