Man United's plans for JJ Gabriel revealed after wonderkid's hat-trick on UEFA Youth League debut

Manchester United's plans for JJ Gabriel have been revealed by Fabrizio Romano after he scored a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut this week.

Gabriel, just 15 years of age, bagged a trio of goals in a 5-0 win as United's Under 19's thrashed over Sabah at the Progress With Unity Stadium.

With United 2-0 up through goals from Amir Ibragimov and Jacob Watson, Gabriel struck three times and showed why he is one of the most exciting prospects in world football.

He has trained with the first-team on a regular basis and is also playing above his age group with the Under 21's, scoring and assisting two on his Premier League debut.

There are huge hopes for Gabriel, who has been likened to Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman.

And transfer expert and journalist Romano has given a huge update on Gabriel, claiming that officials at United have been left "in total shock" over his ability and potential.

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"JJ Gabriel is probably the biggest topic at Manchester United right now when it comes to young talents, and not only now," he said on his YouTube channel.

"They have a gem in their hands. Imagine, he’s just 15 years old. Soon he will turn 16, and then obviously this is going to be an important moment in deciding his future.

"It’s going to be important to see how Manchester United manage JJ in terms of involving him in the first team in official games.

“That’s going to be an important topic because everyone at Manchester United, when they speak about JJ Gabriel, is in total shock at how good this boy is. So obviously, his pathway is going to be absolutely important in order to understand more about JJ.”

Gabriel became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Youth League, eclipsing Rayan Cherki and Karim Adeyemi.

Manager Michael Carrick has spoken glowingly of Gabriel, stating he has "got a really big talent" and physically adapting to each step that he makes.

There is talk that he could be involved in the upcoming Carabao Cup tie against Brighton on Wednesday. If he does feature, he would be United's youngest ever player - breaking the record set by goalkeeper David Gaskell, who played aged 16 years and 19 days.

Why JJ Gabriel has to wear a different shirt in Man United training

Gabriel, once dubbed 'Kid Messi', in a viral YouTube video, has a long-term sponsorship deal with Nike but is not yet able to sign a professional contract with United because of his age.

But he is also restricted when it comes to United's training shirt.

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United recently announced a new £20 million-a-year deal with Betway, who sponsor United's training shirts.

In the Premier League, clubs are banned from having gambling companies as their main shirt sponsor following a recent rule change.

The rule does not apply to training shirts but as he is under the age of 18, Gabriel's shirt is sponsorless and remains blank.

If United had a gambling sponsor on their shirts, he would not be able to have the logo.

Gabriel turns turns 17 on 6 October 2027 and appears destined for big things.