JJ Gabriel declares Real Madrid dream as Man United exit edges closer

JJ Gabriel has broken his silence two months after walking out on Manchester United, posing with a copy of Spanish newspaper Marca that declared his transfer to Real Madrid imminent and stating his dream is to “win a Ballon d’Or”.

The 16-year-old forward has spent the past six weeks training with a personal trainer in Spain — first in Castelldefels and more recently in Madrid. Real Madrid have reportedly reached a verbal agreement in principle to sign him, though United sources say they have not yet received any direct contact from the player’s camp, and his family are said to have kept the club that still holds his registration in the dark.

When Marca handed Gabriel a copy of Thursday’s edition after a training session on Friday afternoon, he reportedly asked, “Can I keep it?” The newspaper also asked him whether Madrid was better than Barcelona, to which he replied simply: “Obviously, Madrid.” His father, Joe O’Cearuill, is said to have laughed in agreement.

Gabriel’s agent, Ali Barat — who has represented him for less than a month — is already reported to be searching for accommodation in Madrid for the player and his family while simultaneously negotiating the terms of a new contract. Gabriel appears set to join Castilla, Real Madrid’s reserve side who compete in Spain’s semi-professional third tier, a pathway previously taken by Casemiro, Vinicius Junior, and current Castilla captain Federico Valverde.

The move would represent a significant step down in competitive level for Gabriel, who had already been playing regular under-21s football at United.

Manchester United’s record appearance maker Ryan Giggs has questioned the decision. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Giggs said: “So far in his career, everything is going fine; why would you disrupt that? You’re on the right track. I trained at 15. I didn’t play for the first team until two years later, so you have to have that patience that people just don’t seem to have at the moment. And believe it or not, first-team football for Man United is completely different to playing in the youth team; playing pre-season for the first team is completely different.”