JJ Gabriel has drawn plenty of attention for his displays in Manchester United's academy teams and fans will be hoping to see him make his first-team debut this season
JJ Gabriel looks on
JJ Gabriel is a player many Man United fans are well aware of (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel has deleted all pictures on his Instagram profile. The forward scored a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut in Thursday's 5-0 win over Sabah FK Under-19s.
Gabriel netted in the 45th, 85th and 87th minutes to solidify his status as one of the Reds' brightest talents. He became the youngest-ever player to score three goals for United in the European competition, at 15 years, 339 days old.
The young star has become a fan favourite with plenty of excitement over him at Old Trafford. But the teenager has unusually removed all photos from his Instagram account, seemingly without explanation.
There is plenty of speculation over whether he could feature for Michael Carrick's club's first team in the Premier League this season.
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Top-flight regulations in English football state that a player must turn 15 on or before August 31 of a given season to be eligible for league selection. It means he was unable to make an appearance last season, but could now feature in 2026/27.
If Reds head coach Carrick does hand him an appearance before he turns 16 in October, the youngster would become United’s youngest-ever first-team player.
JJ Gabriel of Manchester United
JJ Gabriel featured for Manchester United during pre-season(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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The Reds academy players have been aided in their efforts to make a first-team impact by U21 boss Adam Lawrence switching from a 4-3-3 to mirror Carrick's 4-2-3-1 system. The new policy should ensure that United's youngsters, including Gabriel, have a better understanding of their roles when they move up to the senior side.
It is said that the formation change allows Gabriel to learn Bruno Fernandes’ No.10 position. Meanwhile, the U21s have copied Carrick’s deployment of Matheus Cunha as a false nine by playing Amir Ibragimov up front.
Carrick watched Gabriel make his United U21s debut last month. The 15-year-old got on the scoresheet and assisted two in a 5-0 win over Ipswich Town, earning praise from the first team boss.
He said: "I thought the boys played ever so well, actually. Really good team, really strong team that we had, and you could see that the quality.
"I really enjoyed the game. Really pleased with the boys, the way they went about it. The quality, the attitude, everything about the game was really good. So, really encouraged by that.
"JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit. He's getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and just continuing his development."