Man Utd prodigy JJ Gabriel, 15, scores surprise purpose as surprised Michael Carrick watches on
A prodigious talent in Manchester United’s academy left interim manager Michael Carrick gobsmacked with his latest sensational strike that has fans dreaming of a megastar emerging
JJ Gabriel scored a wonder goal for Manchester United’s Under 18s side against Wolves(Image: MUTV)
The star performer in Manchester United’s academy ratcheted up the hype around his first team arrival with a superb goal for the club’s Under 18s against Wolves.
JJ Gabriel, 15, has been hailed as ‘the next Neymar’ and ‘Kid Messi’ for his incredible feats at youth level, including banging in a hat-trick for the Under 18s against Liverpool in a 7-0 win earlier this season. And he broke the deadlock in the 24th minute on Saturday from an unlikely angle just inside the box, striking the underside of the bar with a powerful shot, after running rings around opposition defenders.
“That’s absolutely incredible, what a finish, Gabriel laces it from the underside of the bar from the narrowest of angles,” exclaimed Liam Bradford whilst commentating for MUTV. “He just puts his boot right through it and surprises everybody,” chimed in former United defender Arthur Albiston.
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Gabriel notched up his 15th goal of the season when he opened the scoring against Wolves, reports the Manchester Evening News. The young star also hit the bar towards the end of the first half, narrowly missing out on a double.
Noah Ajayi increased the U18s’ lead shortly after Gabriel’s goal, coolly slotting into the bottom right corner following a well-placed pass from Jayirah Shah. Gabriel then scored from the spot in the second half to secure a 3-1 win.
Both Gabriel and Ajayi found the back of the net as the U18s triumphed over Oxford 4-1 in the FA Youth Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.
Darren Fletcher is hopeful his team can continue United’s illustrious history in the competition, but the U18 boss’ attention this weekend is firmly on the league campaign.
Michael Carrick undertook the 300-mile return journey to Oxford to observe that Youth Cup encounter, and the interim head coach was also seen, accompanied by his assistant Steve Holland, watching the U18s face Wolves.
Carrick has been a conspicuous figure at academy matches since his appointment last month. Ruben Amorim once wandered over to observe part of an U21 fixture but never formally attended a game.
Gabriel has trained alongside the first-team on multiple occasions, despite only celebrating his 15th birthday in October. The gifted youngster has been earmarked for a promising future and has been in devastating form for the U18s this campaign.
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“Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it,” Carrick told MUTV regarding his journey to Oxford. “We went down, there was a number of the staff that went down and yeah it was always something we were trying to do and as much as we can, we’ll do that in between our fixtures.
“In the Youth Cup, I’ve got great memories personally of the Youth Cup when I was younger. [It is] such an important competition and so for us to go and watch, it’s good to get our eyes on some of the younger players and how they’re doing.
“For them to feel that connection. I was really pleased with Colin [Little] and Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and the boys and I thought they played really well in tough conditions, actually. So to get a good result and move on was a good night.”
