Talented young Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel continues to impress in the club's academy and Michael Carrick will be watching on with interest
JJ Gabriel celebrates
Man United youngster JJ Gabriel has a bright future in the game (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Young Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel scored a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah FK Under-19s on Thursday afternoon. The 15-year-old starred for United's Under-19s side in a 5-0 win for Adam Lawrence's team at Leigh Sports Village.
Midfielder Amir Ibragimov opened the scoring two minutes in before Jacob Watson doubled the Reds' lead 14 minutes later. Gabriel then stole the show with goals in the 45th, 85th and 87th minutes to reinforce his status as one of United's brightest prospects.
The Englishman is the youngest ever player to score three goals for United in the competition, at 15 years, 339 days old. The teenager's rise has fuelled speculation over whether he can feature for Michael Carrick's club's first team in the Premier League this season.
Top-flight regulations dictate that a player must turn 15 on or before August 31 of a given season to be eligible for league selection - meaning he was unable to make an appearance last season.
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Having met the league's age requirement before the 2026/27 season began, Gabriel is now eligible to make his Premier League debut. And if Reds head coach Carrick hands him a senior bow before he turns 16 in October, the young star would become United’s youngest-ever first-team player.
LEIGH, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: JJ Gabriel of Manchester United U21 in action during the Premier League 2 match between Manchester United U21 and Leicester City U21 at Leigh Sports Village on August 31, 2026 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
JJ Gabriel is waiting for a first taste of Premier League football(Image: Manchester United, Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Carrick has been keeping a close eye on the teenager, regularly drafting him into first-team training sessions and including him in his squad for several pre-season fixtures this summer.
Addressing Gabriel’s trajectory last season, he said: "JJ is a big talent, it's pretty obvious to know that and he's had a really good season for the Under-18s.
"We obviously think an awful lot of him, but patience is important in managing everything that comes with that and working with him in development as we do with all the different younger players and picking the right moment to step up."
Gabriel’s latest goalscoring heroics build on exceptional numbers at youth level.
The attacker bagged 28 goals across 35 appearances for United’s U18 team last season.
Moving up to the Under-21s in Premier League 2 this term, Gabriel hit the ground running with two goals and two assists in his first two outings before taking his goalscoring form into Europe.