Man Utd star JJ Gabriel surprises everyone with a big career choice
Manchester United’s young star JJ Gabriel has reportedly told the club he wants to cancel his registration right away.
JJ Gabriel, who is just 15 years old (full name Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel), has informed Old Trafford that he wishes to leave, asking them to cancel his registration, according to the Daily Telegraph. Nicknamed ‘Kid Messi,’ the talented teen has officially told the club he wants to become a free agent immediately. However, he isn’t expected to join another team right away, even though big clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich have shown interest.
At the moment, clubs can’t offer professional contracts until players turn 17, or scholarships until they turn 16. United could also challenge JJ’s surprising request. Premier League rules say a player’s registration can only be canceled if the club, player, and their parent or guardian all agree. If they don’t, anyone involved can ask the Premier League to make a final decision.
It’s not clear yet how United will respond to this unexpected news.
JJ had an impressive season, scoring over 20 goals for United’s development team last year, and could make his first-team debut under Michael Carrick this season. He joined United’s academy when he was just 11, so losing him before he even plays for the first team would be a big blow, especially as fans are already frustrated with the club’s ownership.
A source told the Telegraph, “This would be like Barcelona losing Messi before he had played for them. It would be huge.”
JJ won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award for the 2025/26 season. After scoring a hat-trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League last week, he deleted all posts related to United from his social media. Carrick gave JJ his first senior appearance in a pre-season game against Atletico Madrid this summer and has been keeping a close eye on his progress.
Talking in August, Carrick said, “You can see the quality. JJ is one of the boys. He’s got real talent and has been training with us a lot, gaining experience all the time. He’s growing physically and we’re just helping him develop.”
United Under-21 coach Adam Lawrence also praised JJ after his hat-trick against Sabah. “My main job is not to ruin him,” he said. “When you have a player like JJ, you want to let him express his creativity and freedom on the pitch. We try to set the team up so the talent can shine, while also teaching him about his responsibilities off the ball.”
He added, “JJ is in a great place right now. You can see how well he connects with his teammates and plays properly, like he did in that game.”