Wayne Rooney has weighed in on the increasingly messy situation surrounding JJ Gabriel, the 15-year-old academy forward who looks set to leave Manchester United, saying the club could not have done more to convince him to stay. Rooney's take carries extra weight because his own son, Kai, has played alongside Gabriel in United's academy age groups.
It was widely reported earlier this month that Gabriel and his family had asked for his registration with United to be canceled, with frustration over a lack of first-team opportunities said to be behind the request. He was limited to eight minutes of preseason football and left off United's Champions League squad, for which he would have needed 'List A' status due to his age. On the same day United beat Sabah 4-0 in their league phase opener at Old Trafford, Gabriel scored a hat-trick against Sabah's U-19 side in the UEFA Youth League.
He has not trained with the club since, and news of his desire to leave broke the day before United faced Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round last week -- a match some reports suggested he had been lined up to feature in, with a view to making his senior debut. More recent reports have claimed United's competitive "decline" is also a factor in the family's thinking.
United can contest the request to cancel Gabriel's registration, but he would be free to leave at the end of the season regardless. He could depart even sooner for a club abroad, since turning 16 next month would open the door to a move to Spain or another EU state. Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been heavily linked, with Bayern Munich also credited with interest. A move to Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea would have to wait until the summer, unless United change their stance before then -- something that seems unlikely.
Man Utd Couldn't Have Done More to Keep JJ Gabriel
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said he had watched "JJ grow up" given how closely his age lines up with Kai's -- the younger Rooney is a year older than Gabriel and currently a first-year scholar in United's academy program. "Anyone close to it knew that was coming," Rooney said of the departure request.
Much of the reporting around the saga has focused on the role of Gabriel's father, former professional Joe O'Cearuill, an outspoken figure on social media who has previously compared his son -- reportedly renamed JJ Gabriel to become more "marketable" -- to Barcelona's Lamine Yamal.
"In fairness to Manchester United they have done everything, absolutely everything, to keep him at the club," Rooney said.
Rooney's perspective is shaped by more than just his son's academy path. He was a teenage prodigy himself at Everton nearly 25 years ago and says he recognizes the treatment Gabriel has received. "The club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special player. I know, I recognize that, because I was that player at Everton. I was getting that treatment at Everton," he said. "As a club, you need to do it to try to keep the better players. It's disappointing because he is such a top player and a lovely kid."
What Makes JJ Gabriel So Special?
Gabriel is too young to legally drive in the UK, but he is regarded by those inside the game as a generational talent with the potential to become world class. He was playing U-18 football at 14 and started this season by scoring twice at U-21 level against opponents up to six years older.
"He is a top player. His ability, his balance, he has shown he can go up the ages and score goals," Rooney said. "The next step is first-team football where it's different, and you never know until you're in there. But he's such a special talent who understands the game really well. At some point this season he would have made his debut for the first-team, I'd imagine. That's where it's disappointing."
