Manchester United have reportedly tied 14-year-old sensation JJ Gabriel to a new contract.
The teenage phenom was unhelpfully dubbed ‘Kid Messi’ after going viral on YouTube before he even hit double digits. Gabriel has continued to develop in United’s youth system over the subsequent years, attracting admiring glances from a glut of Premier League rivals.
United have made a habit of pilfering other club’s young gems—most notably snapping up the Arsenal duo of Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven last season alone—and were in no mood to find themselves on the wrong end of such a heist.
After direct intervention from United’s newly appointed sporting director Jason Wilcox, Gabriel has been convinced to sign a two-year agreement which keep him at the club until he turns 16, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It’s unlikely that Ruben Amorim will turn to Gabriel in the coming Premier League campaign—the schoolkid doesn’t turn 15 until October and Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri is the only player under the age of 16 to ever appear in this form of England’s top flight. However, those that have witnessed the forward’s talents first hand are confident he would be able to adapt.
“When he first started training, [his competitiveness] was the standout attribute,” Gabriel’s personal trainer Alfie Brooks told Mail Sport.
“I’ve coached nearly 1,000 academy players over my time—four of them in Josh Nichols (Arsenal), Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), Sydie Peck (Sheffield United) and Tyrique George (Chelsea) have made their senior debuts—and JJ is the best I’ve ever seen.
“He could go into a Premier League changing room right now and technically he would be better than all of them. It wouldn’t even be close.”
Despite being born nine months after the first iPad was released, Gabriel has already featured for United’s U18. In just 71 minutes of game time last season, the 14-year-old managed to score three times.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd ‘Set to Hand’ 14-Year-Old Wonderkid New Contract.
