Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel was called up to the 25-man squad for the clash with Rosenborg on Friday evening.
JJ Gabriel was an unused substitute as Manchester United beat Rosenborg 5-0 on Friday evening
JJ Gabriel was an unused substitute as Manchester United beat Rosenborg 5-0 on Friday evening(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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JJ Gabriel took to social media after Manchester United's win over Rosenborg on Friday evening, posting a picture of his kit with the word 'patience' written beneath it.
The 15-year-old was the talk of the academy last season following his impressive 29 goals in all competitions in the Under-18s Premier League and FA Youth Cup.
On Thursday, Michael Carrick included Gabriel in his 25-man squad to travel to Trondheim. The teenager replaced Ethan Wheatley in the only change from the group that travelled to Helsinki last week, but Gabriel was an unused substitute as the Reds romped to a 5-0 win.
While supporters might have been disappointed not to see him make an appearance, Gabriel appears to have taken it in his stride. The forward posted a picture on Instagram of his kit in the United dressing room with the word 'patience' beneath it.
The excitement around the youngster is understandable, but United will carefully manage Gabriel's development. While he could still be given minutes in the upcoming pre-season friendlies, his competitive first-team debut is more likely to come in cup competitions if Michael Carrick decides he is ready.
The trip to Trondheim was likely to have been viewed as a chance for him to spend more time with some of the senior players in the squad than to hand him his maiden appearance for the first team.
United ran riot against Rosenborg, with Shea Lacey opening the scoring just after the 30-minute mark. Joshua Zirkzee added a superb second before wholesale substitutions after an hour.
JJ Gabriel's Instagram story after Manchester United's 5-0 victory over Rosenborg
JJ Gabriel's Instagram story after Manchester United's 5-0 victory over Rosenborg
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Academy stars Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams added gloss to the scoreline to cap an impressive outing for United. Now, the squad will return to Carrington to continue their preparations for the new season. Their next test comes on Saturday, August 1, when the Reds travel to Sweden to take on Atletico Madrid.
United will still be without a whole host of first-team players for that fixture as they recover from the World Cup, and so Gabriel might be included in next week's squad.