JJ Gabriel asks to leave Man Utd

Sky Sports News understands JJ Gabriel has requested the cancellation of his registration; Man Utd are understood to be shocked by the request but believe the situation can be resolved; Gabriel had been in line to be involved in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, live on Sky

Manchester United's 15-year-old academy prodigy JJ Gabriel has asked to leave the club, Sky Sports News understands.

The highly-rated teenager and his representatives have sent formal notice to United's hierarchy requesting that his registration be cancelled with immediate effect, which would allow him to become a free agent.

The request has come as a major surprise to those at Carrington, with Sky Sports News understanding the club are mystified by the reasons behind Gabriel's decision.

Gabriel was involved in Michael Carrick's first-team plans during pre-season and Sky Sports News understands he was in line to feature in Wednesday night's Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, live on Sky Sports.

Questions had already been raised after Gabriel removed all Manchester United-related content from his Instagram account several days ago.

The situation is not considered irretrievable, with United hopeful it can still be resolved given the timescale involved. Gabriel also cannot simply be deregistered by the club without the relevant process being followed.

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He joined United at the age of 11 and is regarded as one of the outstanding young talents to emerge from the club's academy.

Gabriel became the youngest winner of United's Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award last season after scoring more than 20 goals for the U18s.

The teenager has also previously attracted reported interest from Manchester City , while Arsenal , Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been linked with him.

Premier League rules state that a youth registration can only be cancelled if the club, player and parent or carer agree. If they cannot reach an agreement, the Premier League can make a binding decision.

Gabriel turns 16 on October 6 and cannot sign a scholarship agreement until then, or a professional contract until he turns 17.

The Carabao Cup represents Michael Carrick's first domestic cup campaign as United's long-term head coach and offers an early opportunity to put silverware back on the agenda at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer's reign was repeatedly judged on United's failure to turn semi-final and final appearances into trophies, with the club reaching the latter stages of several competitions without lifting silverware.

Now installed as the club's permanent head coach, Carrick has made clear that winning trophies remains central to the job.

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"Trophies is the beauty and the feeling of winning is what we're in football for, what we're in sport for, and certainly one we're in this club for us to try and win," he said.

Carrick acknowledged that success cannot simply be demanded into existence, but stressed the importance of giving supporters the emotion that comes with winning trophies.

And despite the temptation to rotate with United facing a busy schedule, he insisted his side will approach Wednesday's tie determined to progress.

"It's important for us to win football matches," Carrick said. "It's important that we manage the squad as well, and get everyone up, keep everyone up to speed, keep everyone ready, keep everyone part of it.

United go into the Brighton clash looking to respond immediately to Sunday's derby disappointment, with Carrick admitting their Premier League points tally is currently below expectations.

The defeat to City was made all the more frustrating by the fact Enzo Maresca's side played much of the match with 10 men, but Carrick believes his players can use the setback as motivation.

"We've got to move on. We've still got to look at it for ourselves and we've got to win games," he said.

"It's a fresh season, and the points tally right now is not what we want it to be, so we're not hiding from that. But it's more of getting winning games, getting that feeling, getting that habit."