Manchester United have received devastating news over the future of teenage prodigy JJ Gabriel after he asked to quit the club immediately
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Manchester United starlet JJ Gabriel had informed the club that he wants to cancel his registration with them immediately. The 15-year-old prodigy has sent a formal notice of his desire to become a free agent.
The club do not believe the situation is irretrievable and has not yet accepted Gabriel's request. The youngster has played for the club since the age of 11, and United can challenge or reject Gabriel's request to cancel his registration.
Last week, Gabriel wiped all of the images from his Instagram, leading to some concern. The youngster already lays claim to more than 800,000 followers on the social media website.
Gabriel is not able to sign a professional contract until he turns 17, and scholarship agreements are not permitted until players turn 16. He is not currently in line to join another club immediately, despite Manchester City previously trying to tempt him away from Old Trafford.
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel wants to leave Manchester United(Image: Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Premier League rules require all parties to come to an agreement to end a registration period early. “During your child’s registration period, their registration may only be cancelled if everyone agrees (the club, player and their parent/carer)," they state.
“If the parties don’t agree, then any person involved can also ask the Premier League to provide a binding decision on a termination request," the rules add.
Gabriel was part of United's pre-season preparations across the summer and featured against Atletico Madrid. United are said to have planned for the teenager to be part of the squad for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Brighton.
The attacker has scored five goals and provided two assists in just three games across Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League. At 15, he is already playing amongst his elders on a regular basis.
JJ Gabriel continues to impress at Manchester United and is on the fringes of the first team.
JJ Gabriel continues to impress at Manchester United and is on the fringes of the first team.(Image: (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images))
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United boss Michael Carrick has been impressed by Gabriel's abilities and has frequently attended youth matches to monitor the youngster and other talents. Speaking last month after watching Gabriel, the Carrick said: "I really enjoyed the game. You could see the quality.
"JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development."
Last term, Gabriel became the youngest winner of United’s Jimmy Murphy young-player-of-the-year award, racking up 23 goals in as many appearances in the under-18 Premier League.
Speaking after Gabriel's immense performance against Sabah this season, under-21s boss Adam Lawrence offered a ringing endorsement of the player's abilities. "Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him," he said.
Michael Carrick has previously heaped praise on the teenager
Michael Carrick has previously heaped praise on the teenager(Image: Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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"So when you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity. And I think essentially what you try and do is to set the team up to allow the talent to function and to play free at the right moments.
"Of course, it can't always be free and off the cuff in terms of some of the off-the-ball responsibilities that he's working on and some of the pressing things that he's thinking about.
"But again, in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other teammates at the top end of the pitch, he's just in a real good space. If you look at that game today, I think he's playing properly."