Carrick enters talks over JJ Gabriel's future as 15-year-old pushes to leave Man United

Michael Carrick confirmed on Wednesday that he is part of ongoing discussions over JJ Gabriel’s future at Manchester United, after the 15-year-old attacker formally requested to cancel his registration with the club.

Gabriel had been set to make his senior competitive debut in United’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton — a match that would have made him the club’s youngest ever player — but was omitted from the squad after his camp’s departure request emerged on the eve of the game. United went on to lose 3-2.

“I just think we’ve got to be really careful of the whole situation,” Carrick said after the defeat. “He’s a young boy, he’s 15 and the biggest thing for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, is looking after our younger players. Their welfare, their wellbeing, their exposure. And I think all of us have got to be really conscious of that in this situation. As a club, for sure, we’re all involved in those conversations.”

United believe the situation is rectifiable and have not given up hope of persuading Gabriel to stay. The club was left bemused by the request, having been in the process of integrating him into the first-team setup.

Gabriel, who has been nicknamed ‘Kid Messi’, made his Uefa Youth League debut for the Under-19s last Thursday, scoring a hat-trick. He became the youngest player to represent United in unofficial matches during pre-season and last year claimed the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award — the youngest recipient in its history — as well as the Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season.

Carrick has previously described Gabriel as “a really big talent”, while United’s record appearance maker Ryan Giggs has gone further, calling him a “generational talent”. The teenager is attempting to become a free agent by giving the club formal notice of his wish to leave, though United are pushing back against that outcome.