Man Utd U18s played their penultimate game of the season on Friday and JJ Gabriel was on the scoresheet again.
JJ Gabriel is a rising star in the academy.(Image: Steven Railston)
Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel scored for the Under-18s in their 4-0 victory against Stoke City.
The U18s attempted to defend their Premier League North title this season, but Manchester City were crowned as the league champions last weekend with two games still to play for United.
Adam Lawrence’s side have just fallen short, although they responded to that disappointment by securing a comfortable win against Stoke on Friday. The in-form Victor Musa scored twice and Zachary Baumann got on the scorehseet, and Gabriel came on from the bench to score the fourth of the game.
Gabriel replaced Amir Ibragimov in the 72nd minute and netted in added time at Carrington.
The exciting 14-year-old was handed his debut for the U18s against Leeds at the beginning of last month, and he scored twice when he was introduced from the bench in that clash.
It is rare for a player of Gabriel’s age to play for United’s U18s, but he’s already outgrown Under-16 football and has been pushed up by academy staff to provide a bigger challenge.
Gabriel is seen as a young talent with genuine star quality. The precocious youngster was given the nickname ‘Kid Messi’ after clips of him training and completing specialist skills went viral on social media when he was younger, and he’s already on the radar of top European sides.
When Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in January, Gabriel thanked him for taking penalties with him at Carrington before he had left the club. Gabriel also received a “get well soon” video from goalkeeper Andre Onana when he was recovering from his shoulder injury in October.
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