Michael Carrick finally addresses JJ Gabriel situation after Man United crash out of Carabao Cup

Michael Carrick has spoken out to address the rumours surrounding JJ Gabriel after Manchester United's shock Carabao Cup exit.

On Wednesday night, United suffered another damaging loss as Brighton beat them 3-2 at Old Trafford to knock them out of the Carabao Cup in the third round.

The brutal loss comes as United face complete turmoil around the future of star wonderkid Gabriel, who reportedly is desperate to leave the club, forcing Carrick to finally speak out about the situation.

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Michael Carrick releases statement about JJ Gabriel amid exit rumours

Ahead of United's Carabao Cup loss to Brighton, it was widely reported that Gabriel, who is just 15 years old, could be handed his senior debut for United during the match.

The wonderkid has been a star for United's youth teams in recent years and was one of the most impressive performers in pre-season under Carrick.

It therefore came as a major surprise when reports emerged stating that the 15-year-old was pushing to leave United as soon as possible.

But as the media continues to speculate about Gabriel's future, Carrick has called for compassion from fans and the press given Gabriel's age.

"We have to be a little bit careful on that one," the United boss told Sky Sports after the loss to Brighton.

"He's a 15-year-old boy. It's more about the welfare, the care and the attention of JJ as a child really. He's certainly a young man."

Despite the rumours, Carrick appeared to dodge any reference to if Gabriel would be leaving and, if so, where he would be going next.

He added: "The situation is what it is, but we have to be careful about the exposure and how much we jump on that."

READ MORE: Manchester United lose historic record with Carabao Cup exit and fans blame one player

Which clubs are interested in signing JJ Gabriel?

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are among the clubs currently believed to be the frontrunners to sign the United youngster due to a loophole that would allow them to sign him before his 16th birthday.

Should Gabriel have dual nationality thanks to his mother, who is Greek Cypriot, he would be able to join a European side far earlier than any side in the Premier League.

That being said, a move within the Premier League is still possible, but he will have to wait he turns 16 in October, with Chelsea not an option as they are banned from signing academy players until December.

As it stands, it's impossible to know what exactly what will happen, but it appears increasingly likely that Gabriel will secure a move away from United sometime in the near future.

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