JJ Gabriel might move from Man United to Real Madrid next month because of a little-known rule.
JJ Gabriel’s possible exit from Manchester United might happen sooner than expected because of a little-known rule about dual nationality. Just days after scoring an amazing hat-trick for the Under 19 team in the UEFA Youth League, news came out that Gabriel wants to cancel his registration with the club right away.
The 15-year-old and his team are reportedly unhappy with how he’s been developing and the lack of chances to play with the first team. According to The Athletic, Gabriel has handed in a letter asking to become a free agent. Since he’s not yet a scholar and can’t sign a professional contract until he turns 17, this is a bit unusual.
Normally, for a young player to cancel their registration in the Premier League, the club, player, and their parent or guardian all have to agree. Manchester United don’t want to accept Gabriel’s request and are trying to keep him at the club.
However, there’s a special situation that might let Gabriel move abroad. Big clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich are all interested in the young talent, sometimes called “Kid Messi.” Moving to a foreign club could be an option if Gabriel holds a European passport.
The report explains that Brexit rules changed, meaning if Gabriel has an Irish or Cypriot passport, he could move to another country two years before turning 18. Gabriel will turn 16 on October 6. His dad, Joe O’Cearuill, used to play for Arsenal and Brighton and even represented the Republic of Ireland twice, and his mum has Cypriot roots.
Real Madrid, who’ve won the European championship 15 times, are among the clubs watching him closely. If Gabriel does leave under these rules, Manchester United would likely get a six-figure compensation fee. Club officials are currently looking into Gabriel’s passport status to figure things out.
Last season, Gabriel scored 26 goals and has already trained with the first team. He even played in a friendly against Atletico Madrid, making him the youngest player to represent United, though unofficially. He was expected to be in the squad for the Carabao Cup game against Brighton and could have become the club’s youngest ever player, but with these recent changes, he probably won’t be involved and stayed home instead of training with the first team.