United offer JJ Gabriel scholarship to block cut-price exit as Carrick addresses City verdict

Manchester United have handed JJ Gabriel a formal scholarship proposal in a bid to protect their position over the highly sought-after teenager, who submitted a transfer request last month and attracted interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Had United failed to make the offer, Premier League regulations would have allowed Gabriel to leave the club for free in January. With the scholarship now on the table, any domestic club pursuing the youngster must negotiate directly with United for his signature. Should those talks break down, a Professional Football Compensation Committee tribunal would set the fee — with United expecting to receive a minimum of £3 million plus a 20 per cent sell-on clause.

The picture changes if Gabriel opts for a move to a European club, however, with the compensation figure in that scenario expected to fall considerably below that threshold. The Guardian first reported that the formal offer had been made, describing it as fundamentally altering the outlook for any prospective transfer.

Separately, manager Michael Carrick broke United’s silence on Manchester City’s financial misconduct verdict, describing the fallout as having a personal dimension. An independent commission confirmed during the international break that City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges brought against them, covering alleged rule violations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons — a period during which Carrick was part of the United squad.

Carrick called for the matter to be resolved as quickly as possible, while City have maintained their innocence and lodged an appeal against the findings.

Despite the noise surrounding their rivals, Carrick was keen to redirect attention to United’s own business. The club return to Old Trafford this weekend to face Tottenham in the Premier League, and the United manager warned his players against complacency. “When you look at the games, they are a very good team with good players,” Carrick said. “They have assembled a squad this summer that is different to what they had. They haven’t had the results they maybe deserve.”

Both sides arrive into the fixture in need of points, with Carrick describing it as “just another game” while acknowledging the quality Spurs possess.