Manchester United have given another example of how highly they rate JJ Gabriel with their latest stance on his future.
Despite Michael Carrick trusting the youngsters this pre-season so far, the noises coming out of Man Utd haven’t been kind to them.
From Harry Amass on the chopping block for just £6m, to the likes of Dan Gore and Radek Vitek being told their future isn’t at Old Trafford, the decisions are enraging Man Utd fans.
However, not all is doom and gloom, as JJ Gabriel has been given a status afforded to only three other wonderkids, all of whom have first-team appearances.
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JJ Gabriel on the ‘untouchable’ pre-season youngsters list
Gabriel is too young to go on loan, so this season was never going to be about sending him on a lower league trip as a traditional “coming of age” ceremony for a youngster.
Having said that, it still speaks volumes about how highly the club rate him, that his name appears on the “untouchable” list of youngsters in the pre-season.
As Man Utd told Radek Vitek, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, and Dan Gore that their futures lay away from the club, four youngsters also got given assurances of a first-team place.
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Three players on that list have first-team minutes – Shea Lacey and the Fletcher twins – but the fourth is JJ Gabriel.
Considering that Gabriel hasn’t even made an appearance for the senior team, let alone a competitive one, that is a huge deal for the youngster.
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It’s an open secret that United rate Gabriel highly, and amid intense interest in his services, convinced him to stay at the club until he turns 17 at the very least.
That proposal must have come with some first-team promises, and his presence on the untouchables list alongside three first-team players seems like the start of it.
Do not be surprised if Gabriel plays his first Man Utd minutes in the pre-season friendlies ahead, before becoming United’s youngest-ever player when he makes a competitive debut before he turns 16.
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