Man Utd wonderkid JJ Gabriel attracting interest from top European clubs

JJ Gabriel wants to leave Manchester United; the 15-year-old has requested that his registration be cancelled to become a free agent; Gabriel wanted to be involved in first-team squads; United's hierarchy will keep trying to convince Gabriel to stay while he is still registered with them

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, along with several Premier League clubs, are interested in Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel.

The 15-year-old has made it clear he wants to leave Man Utd and has asked to be deregistered immediately to become a free agent.

Gabriel and his team feel United had ample opportunities to involve him more in pre-season and in first-team squads since the season started, including in the Champions League.

United's hierarchy will keep trying to convince Gabriel to stay while he is still registered with them.

However, it is understood Gabriel has made up his mind and, as far as he's concerned, has played his last game for the club.

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

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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.

Conversations now with Gabriel's team and his family will be key, and it will be up to Man Utd chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and academy director Stephen Torpey to attempt to de-escalate the situation.

But the biggest clubs around the Premier League and the rest of Europe will all be monitoring the situation with Gabriel as it evolves.

He was not included in the A-list for Champions League participation and featured for eight minutes for the first team in pre-season, and there is a feeling he has not been afforded as many opportunities as other young players around the squad.

However, those inside Carrington believe not much more could have been done to show a pathway through to the senior team for the young star.

In the last 12 months, Gabriel met former United head coach Ruben Amorim in his office as a first step towards the first team, followed by a meeting not too soon after with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Gabriel then trained with the first team last season and was part of Carrick's pre-season squad at times this summer as well, making his debut against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm last month.

However, Gabriel has started this season incredibly well. He scored a hat-trick against Sabah last week in the UEFA Youth League and has two goals and two assists in Premier League 2 so far this season.

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.

Man Utd head coach Michael Carrick has asked for Gabriel's welfare to be protected amid the doubts over the teenager's future at the club.

Carrick told Sky Sports on Wednesday: "We have to be a little bit careful on that one. He's a 15-year-old boy.

"It's more about the welfare, the care and the attention of JJ as a child, really.

"The situation is what it is, but we have to be careful about the exposure and how much we jump on that."

"First of all, he's an unbelievable talent. The problem now is with the lad and probably his agents and his family - I don't know him so I'm only thinking from the outside.

"When you're watching Max Dowman at Arsenal and Rio Ngumoha getting given a chance at Liverpool and doing very well, he's probably thinking, 'I should be playing at Man Utd now as well'.

"This is the problem you're going to have with the kids of this day and age. They're so talented that they want to play straight away. When I was playing, it was unheard of at 16.

"It'll be a massive blow for Man Utd. Believe me, this kid is an unbelievable talent. They'll have every club in the world wanting him."