Man Utd wonderkid JJ Gabriel makes bombshell career decision nobody expected

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel has reportedly informed the club that he intends to cancel his registration with immediate effect.

JJ Gabriel, 15 – Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel – has reportedly told the Old Trafford club that he would like to leave, asking United to cancel his registration, as per the Daily Telegraph.

The teenager, dubbed ‘Kid Messi’, has sent a formal notice to the club and wants to become a free agent immediately. However, he is not expected to join another club straight away, despite previous interest from Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and others.

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What do the Premier League rules say?

Currently, clubs cannot sign players to professional contracts until they turn 17 or offer them scholarships until they turn 16.

United also have the ability to challenge the youngster’s surprise request, with Premier League rules stating: “During your child’s registration period, their registration may only be cancelled if everyone agrees (the club, player and their parent/carer).”

The rules add: “If the parties don’t agree, then any person involved can also ask the Premier League to provide a binding decision on a termination request.”

It is unclear what decision United will make in light of the shock development.

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The forward scored more than 20 times for United’s development side last term and is eligible to make his first-team debut under Michael Carrick this season.

Gabriel first joined United’s academy as an 11-year-old, and losing him before he has made his official debut for the club would no doubt add to fans’ fury surrounding the ownership, as the Glazer family and INEOS remain under pressure.

A source told the Telegraph: “This would be like Barcelona losing Messi before he had played for them. It would be huge.”

Gabriel, who won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the year award for the 2025/26 campaign, wiped his social media accounts of all United-related posts after netting a hat-trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League last week.

What has Michael Carrick said about JJ Gabriel?

Carrick handed Gabriel his senior debut in United’s pre-season clash against Atletico Madrid earlier this summer.

The United boss has also regularly watched Gabriel closely, attending youth fixtures.

Speaking in August, Carrick said: “You could see the quality.

“JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development.”

Meanwhile, United Under-21s coach Adam Lawrence waxed lyrical about the youngster after his hat-trick against Sabah.

“Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him,” he said.

“So, when you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads, of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity. And I think, essentially, what you try and do is to set the team up to allow the talent to function and to play free at the right moments.

“Of course, it can't always be free and off the cuff in terms of some of the off-the-ball responsibilities that he's working on and some of the pressing things that he's thinking about.

“But again, in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other teammates at the top end of the pitch, he's just in a real good space. If you look at that game today, I think he's playing properly.”