Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
JJ Gabriel got his first minutes for the senior side against Atletico Madrid, and Leny Yoro moved to address “Alejandro Garnacho 2.0” fear.
Such was the fall from grace for Alejandro Garnacho that Man Utd fans are now cautious about hyping up another youngster.
That is even truer in the case of someone like JJ Gabriel, who is a genuine prodigy set to break records for Man Utd this season.
After his first-team debut against Atletico Madrid, Yoro addressed those “Garnacho repeat” fears by revealing a crucial thing about Gabriel.
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Leny Yoro on JJ Gabriel’s character
If a 15-year-old gets the biggest ovation upon coming on than any other seasoned international, you could forgive him for letting it get to his head.
Gabriel has long been marked as the crown jewel of the Man Utd academy, which is a remarkable thing to say about a 15-year-old.
Even his debut against Atletico didn’t look like he was out of place, as he went about his usual dribbles and shook off the tackles with a driven mentality.
It won’t be a surprise to see Gabriel in and around the first team this season, breaking records for the youngest player and goalscorer.
Leny Yoro spoke about the youngster after the game, and as someone who had a meteoric rise in France, revealed a crucial thing about Gabriel.
He said: “He’s a really good player. He’s still really young, still has a lot to learn and improve. But yeah, he’s really humble. I’m happy for him to get his first minutes.”
People already know Gabriel is a good player who is really young, with lots to improve, but the latter part is particularly important to succeed at Old Trafford.
Yoro calms “Alejandro Garnacho 2.0” fear for Gabriel
Gabriel’s rise through Carrington is record-breaking, but in terms of first-team impact, not many youngsters have rivalled what Alejandro Garnacho did under Erik ten Hag.
JJ Gabriel celebrates, in Man Utd red kit
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He broke through in the middle of the season and ended the next one as the first name on the teamsheet, with a new contract.
Unfortunately, he got caught up in the saviour syndrome that came with it, thinking himself to be bigger than the club.
One poor career decision after another sees him ply his trade for Aston Villa now after being discarded by Chelsea after a single season.
None of this would have happened had he just been humble, waited for his chances, made the most of them, while improving his game in the background.
That looks like what Gabriel is doing, if Yoro’s comments are to be believed. As long as he keeps doing that, there will be no “Garnacho 2.0”, only “Gabriel 1.0”.