Real Madrid target JJ Gabriel with plan to avoid repeating the Odegaard mistake

Real Madrid are edging closer to signing Manchester United teenager JJ Gabriel, with the Spanish club reportedly intent on avoiding the development errors that derailed Martin Odegaard’s time at the Bernabeu.

Gabriel has been absent from United’s Carrington training ground since his camp requested his registration be cancelled — a request the club rejected. He has since obtained a European Union passport, removing the regulatory barrier to joining a club on the continent. Real Madrid lead the race for his signature, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also credited with interest.

The parallels with Odegaard are hard to ignore. The Norwegian joined Real as a 15-year-old in 2015 amid enormous fanfare, yet managed only 11 first-team appearances across six years at the club, spending much of that time on loan. Former manager Carlo Ancelotti later described the signing as a “PR exercise” by president Florentino Perez, and Odegaard was also afforded little playing time under Zinedine Zidane. He eventually joined Arsenal permanently in 2021 and went on to win the Premier League title.

A key source of friction during Odegaard’s time in Madrid was his training arrangement. Despite holding a first-team contract, he was required to train with the club’s B side, which reportedly caused resentment among his peers, who would allegedly refuse to pass to him in sessions knowing he would not feature alongside them at weekends.

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has suggested Real are aware of those pitfalls. He indicated the club intends to structure Gabriel’s integration more carefully to prevent similar tensions from arising.

Gabriel’s departure from United came under acrimonious circumstances. He had been on the verge of becoming the club’s youngest-ever first-team player, with a Carabao Cup appearance against Brighton lined up, before his family withdrew him from the club three weeks before his 16th birthday. His camp had reportedly pushed for him to feature against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League — where he scored a hat-trick — as well as in the Champions League, the Carabao Cup, and the Premier League. United have since attempted to contact his family regarding his welfare, with those efforts going unanswered.

The club retain Gabriel’s registration, leaving the legal and administrative details of any potential transfer still to be resolved.