Manchester United talent JJ Gabriel is making waves at 15 and the club is working hard to provide the right pathway to allow him to fulfil his eye-catching potential.
Tipped as a future star for several years, the forward has spent time training with Michael Carrick‘s men and made his first appearance for the senior team in August’s friendly against Atlético Madrid.
Gabriel does not turn 16 until next month and on Thursday sparkled for the Under-19s against Sabah as he marked his UEFA Youth League debut with a hat trick in a 5-0 victory in Leigh.
Adam Lawrence, who coached the team in his role as United’s professional development phase lead, said: “JJ is surrounded by people that really, really believe in him from the top of the club right the way through.
“He’s been at the club for so long. He’s got real good relationships with the players, with the staff, so I think over the course of time obviously that helps as well.
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“At the moment, just in terms of his game, his games programme, his training programme, it’s about making sure that he’s getting the right exposure across different levels.
“We’re obviously not perfect but it’s definitely something we put a lot of thought into, so it’s good to see him enjoying his football in a good place.”
There is a lot of excitement around Gabriel, who last season became the youngest-ever winner of the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award for the club’s best youth player.
The 15-year-old has amassed 840,000 followers on Instagram before so much as making a competitive appearance, with it appearing a matter of when rather than if he makes his bow.
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But United will not rush things such is their determination to provide the best environment for Gabriel, who has scored in both of this season’s appearances for the Under-21s.
“The first thing is that it’s my job is not to ruin him,” U21s lead coach Lawrence said with a smile.
“When you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads, you obviously don’t want to stifle their freedom and their creativity.
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“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.
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“It can’t always be free and off the cuff, in terms of the off-the-ball responsibilities that he’s working on and the pressing that he’s thinking about.
“But in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other team-mates at the top end of the pitch, he’s just in a real good space. I think he’s playing properly, he’s trying to do the right things.
“It’s enjoyable working with him — and challenging as a coach because the best players challenge you. I mean that in a good way. When you work with talented players, you’ve got to find ways to help them and allow them to flourish and keep improving.
“Of course there’s things that he can keep working on, but he’s in a real good place.”
