Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has delivered his verdict on JJ Gabriel's transfer bombshell with the teenage talent asking to leave Old Trafford
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel told Manchester United he wants to leave(Image: Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Roy Keane has pointed the blame at JJ Gabriel's representatives after it was leaked that the 15-year-old has requested to quit Manchester United.
Earlier this week, The Telegraph first reported that Gabriel had sent formal notice that he wishes to cancel his registration at the club with immediate effect to become a free agent.
United were left stunned by Gabriel's decision and he was due to be involved in the Carabao Cup squad to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. If he had featured, he would have become the club's youngest-ever player, eclipsing David Gaskell, who was 16 years and 19 days old when he debuted back in 1956.
Despite this, United believe the situation can still be resolved with Gabriel still having time left on his contract. He cannot be de‑registered unless all parties agree, but he is going to be able to negotiate a move abroad once he turns 16 next month, helped by the fact he has an Irish passport.
Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville claimed that Gabriel has been let down by his representatives and said that his camp should not have leaked the information to the media. The young sensation has since become one of the biggest football stories this week, due to his talent and potential at his disposal.
Responding to Neville, Keane said: "If his agents have leaked this, to be fair, that's not on United is it?"
JJ Gabriel has asked to leave Manchester United
JJ Gabriel has asked to leave Manchester United(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Neville then added: "I would say from a point of view of duty of care for a 15-year-old, is that a 15-year-old is the back page story of every newspaper in the country, How are you looking after that kid?
"I don't care whether you think he should be playing or not; if you think he should be playing, great - I think lots of parents think their kid should be playing. However, his representatives: why would you want that leaking out to the newspapers?"
While defending United on the Gabriel situation, Keane did stress that the Reds need to start winning matches to ease the pressure on the club and manager Michael Carrick, who has come under scrutiny this week.
"Carrick's under pressure. Obviously, [Sir Alex] Ferguson, we go back and sometimes you’d throw lads into the first team, but United they need wins," Keane continued.
"I don't think United are in the position to go 'We can write off a cup game tonight and play a couple of young lads'. No, we need to get some wins, we need to get some momentum into the season and if some 15-year-old is spitting his dummy out, we'll deal with that."
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