15-year-old JJ Gabriel still set to leave Man Utd despite club's repeated attempts to repair relationship

JJ Gabriel remains on course to leave Manchester United despite the club making repeated attempts to repair its relationship with the 15-year-old forward, who formally requested a transfer shortly after appearing in the club’s official 2026/27 first-team squad photograph.

Gabriel has not trained at United’s Carrington base for more than two weeks, instead maintaining his fitness through individual sessions in Castelldefels, near Barcelona, where he has worked with specialist local coaches and occasionally brought in a private coach from Manchester. His absence included a refusal to train ahead of United’s Carabao Cup tie against Brighton — a match in which he would have become the youngest player in the club’s history had he featured.

United were caught off guard by Gabriel’s desire to leave and have since reached out multiple times to the player and his family, though those efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough. The club is said to remain confident it has presented a clear pathway to senior football, but Gabriel and his family had reportedly sought concrete assurances over playing time before agreeing to a scholarship deal — including at least 20 minutes of action across fixtures against Sabah in the Champions League, Brighton in the Carabao Cup, and an upcoming Premier League match against Bournemouth.

Gabriel’s options are currently constrained by his age. He cannot sign a scholarship agreement until he turns 16 or a professional contract until he is 17, and he remains registered with United until the end of the 2026/27 season under current regulations. However, Gabriel turns 16 on Tuesday, 6 October, and that milestone could open the door to a move within Europe. As an Irish passport holder, he is eligible to join a club in the European Union, subject to FIFA approval — which governs the international transfer of players under 18.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are understood to be among the most determined suitors for the highly rated forward, with several other leading European clubs also having registered interest.

The timing of Gabriel’s squad photo appearance added an unusual dimension to the story. Included alongside senior first-team players in the official club photograph, the teenager submitted his transfer request only days later, leaving United to manage an increasingly public dispute with one of their most promising young talents.