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JJ Gabriel trains with Manchester United first team as young defender promoted

Man Utd have trained at Carrington ahead of the Premier League clash with Aston Villa and a couple of the club's youngsters have been included in the session.

Bryan Mbeumo and JJ Gabriel in Manchester United training

JJ Gabriel faces up to Bryan Mbeumo during Manchester United training

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Manchester United prospect JJ Gabriel was included in first-team training again on Wednesday as preparations for the Premier League fixture with Aston Villa stepped up.

Gabriel, 15, has been a revelation for the Under-18s this season but is ineligible to play in the Premier League or for the Under-21s in Premier League 2 until next season, as he was only 14 when the season began.

But he has been a regular face in first-team training sessions under both Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick, and he was involved again a few days out from the crucial showdown with Villa.

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Gabriel has scored 20 goals in 22 games for Darren Fletcher's Under-18s this season and he is currently on an electric run of form, scoring nine goals in his last six games, including doubles in the last three Under-18 Premier League matches.

There was also a spot in first-team training on Wednesday for 18-year-old centre-back Albert Mills. The Norwich-born youngster got a taste of senior training under Amorim last October and was back in the first-team set-up this week.

Mills only turned 18 at the end of February but he is already a towering centre-back and he has delivered some commanding displays for Fletcher's youth team this season.

He scored in the FA Youth Cup win at Oxford United last month and has played every minute of all three rounds so far. He has made 17 starts in the Under-18 Premier League this season and has three appearances for the Under-21s.

There was also a place in first-team training for Jack Fletcher, who served the last of a six-game ban for using a homophobic insult during an EFL Trophy fixture against Barnsley on Friday.

There was no sign in the session of Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt or Mason Mount, who all remain sidelined ahead of the clash with Villa.

Martinez is set to miss a fourth successive game after suffering a minor setback after a calf injury, while De Ligt is still nursing a back problem and Mount has missed the last six games. Patrick Dorgu remains out with a hamstring problem.

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