Manchester United starlet, JJ Gabriel, has been in talks with Real Madrid over a potential La Liga transfer, and a fresh claim could explain the forward's behaviour
JJ Gabriel celebrates
JJ Gabriel has been linked with a move away from Manchester United(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
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Jay Bothroyd believes that JJ Gabriel would potentially benefit from a move to La Liga as a result of his build. The pundit also highlighted how he may struggle to thrive in the Premier League like Wayne Rooney and Max Dowman due to the physicality of the English top flight.
The 15-year-old forward has been the talk of Greater Manchester over the past couple of days, as a result of seemingly wanting away from Manchester United, as he looks to continue to develop to the best of his ability through his formative years. It is understood that super agent, Ali Barat, has also helped facilitate talks between the youngster's family and Real Madrid - as well as Bayern Munich.
Barcelona have also been linked with Gabriel, as his future in Greater Manchester remains up in the air. The academy product could have enjoyed a first-team debut in the EFL Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion last week, with Michael Carrick reportedly planning to include him in the outing.
That would have made Gabriel United’s youngest-ever first-team player. However, that failed to come to fruition as a result of a request made earlier in the week.
Gabriel has also since deleted all pictures on his Instagram profile in a concerning turn of events with no explanation. While United fans will be desperate to retain the forward, who could go on to become world football's next wonderkid, Bothroyd has considered that a move to Spanish soil could bear a wealth of fruit in terms of prospect and opportunity.
Speaking alongside Simon Jordan and Andros Townsend on Piers Morgan's Sports Uncensored show, the former Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Queen's Park Rangers striker said: "At the end of the day, the parents just want what's best for their son.
"And it's not like they're particularly saying, 'I want him to play right now.' It's very much like, 'We just want him to go in the best possible direction.'
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"Now, when you look at him, his body. We talk about [Florian] Wirtz and we say, 'He's lightweight, he's not ready for the Premier League, he can't play there.'
"But when you look at JJ Gabriel, there's not much difference in his body. They may think that he could do better going to Barcelona or Spain, or wherever it may be. At the end of the day, I think we can't talk about him in a negative way. We can't talk about the parents."
After being challenged by Jordan as to who is better served to give advice between Gabriel's parents and agents or his coaches, Bothroyd added: "I would say the parents, because they know their kid. They know what he's capable of at the moment.
"And he hasn't grown into his man's body yet. We were talking about Max Dowman...I look at Max Dowman, he has similarities to Rooney.
"Rooney was throwing defenders on the floor at 16 years old. I'm seeing Dowman do the same things. You look at JJ, he's not the same, he's more slight.
"He's got that, kind of, Neymar body where he's quick. He's got really quick feet, his acceleration is there. But physically, he's not going to be throwing no-one to the floor.
"Maybe his family are looking at it and saying, 'You know what, maybe it's best that his development can come from abroad like the leagues of La Liga.'"