Manchester United’s effort to keep JJ Gabriel at Old Trafford faces a familiar pull from Spain, with Wayne Rooney saying the teenager has long been understood to harbour ambitions of playing there.
Gabriel, one of the most highly regarded young players in United’s academy, turns 16 on 6 October. From that point he will be eligible to sign a professional contract with a club in the European Union, a date that has placed Barcelona and Real Madrid on alert as they consider a move for the emerging talent.
Rooney, speaking on Disney+ programme Stick to United, said the prospect of Gabriel seeking a Spanish move had been well known around the game. “There has been a desire to go and play in Spain, as far as I understand,” he said. “I may be wrong, but it is something that has been talked about for years.”
The former United and Everton forward said the club had handled Gabriel differently from most academy players because of the level of his potential. In Rooney’s view, there was little surprise in that approach: United have made every possible effort to persuade the youngster that his future should remain in Manchester.
“Anyone close to the situation probably knew this was coming,” Rooney said. “Manchester United have done absolutely everything they can to keep him at the club.”
Rooney drew on his own beginnings at Everton, where he was afforded additional support as one of the club’s standout young prospects. He said special treatment for a leading academy player could include extra help for the player and his family, and that such measures were sometimes necessary if a club wanted to hold on to its best teenagers.
United’s task now is to convince Gabriel that the route to senior football lies at Old Trafford rather than through a move abroad. Barcelona and Real Madrid are both watching closely, and the player’s 16th birthday could bring the first decisive turn in a contest that is only beginning to gather pace.
