Shocking reason JJ Gabriel wants to leave Man Utd comes out just hours after Fulham draw
The real reason JJ Gabriel wants to leave Manchester United has come to light, and it says a lot about where the club is right now.
Gabriel, who is 15, told United last week that he plans to leave. He joined the club when he was just 11. Since then, there have been strong links to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. His representatives even met with Barcelona on September 18.
At first, people thought Gabriel wanted to leave because he and his team believed United didn’t keep their promise about a clear path to the first team. But a new report from the Daily Mail suggests there’s another important reason.
Sources told the paper that Gabriel’s family feels United is falling behind the top European clubs, and this is the main reason for his decision. The report said: “United’s drop since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson has pushed Gabriel’s family to consider leaving. United hasn’t won the Premier League since 2013.
“A family source said United is ‘far away’ from clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and even rivals Arsenal and Manchester City. They want JJ to ‘learn from the best’ to make the most of his talent.”
Another source added, “His dad wants him to be the best in the world, to play with and learn from top players. Right now, that’s just not the reality at United.”
Gabriel, nicknamed ‘Kid Messi,’ can’t sign a pro contract in England until he’s 17, and he won’t be able to sign a scholarship until he turns 16 on October 6.
United has reportedly turned down his request to leave. A young player’s registration can only be canceled if the club, the player, and the parent all agree.
The Premier League rules say that if they don’t agree, anyone involved can ask the league to make a final decision.
If United keeps his registration, Gabriel won’t be able to sign with another English club until the end of the season at least. But because of his dad’s Irish background, he might get an EU or Irish passport. That would let him sign with a club in the EU, although it would need FIFA’s approval.
Gabriel hasn’t been seen at United since he asked to leave.
United’s coach Michael Carrick said everyone should be careful about handling Gabriel’s situation.
“He’s only 15, and from the club’s point of view we need to look after our young players’ health, happiness, and how much exposure they get,” Carrick said last week.
He added, “It’s mainly about looking after JJ as a kid. He’s definitely a young person. The situation is what it is, but we have to be very careful about all the attention around it.”