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Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel has reportedly been promoted to the club’s U18s after impressing his coaches with his excellent performances.
The Daily Mail reports that Gabriel – who celebrated his 14th birthday at the weekend – has already seemingly outgrown his new age group.
According to the newspaper, “Gabriel, who has the nickname ‘Kid Messi’ on social media, is one of the most exciting young players in the entire United academy and has been a regular at 13-years-old for the U16s.”
“Already he looks to have outgrown the level at U16s, and development staff are now looking to integrate the Nike athlete into the next phase.”
“While there is no desire to rush him into getting starting minutes with the U18s, coaches have been blown away by Gabriel’s talent and have rewarded him by making him part of the training group to test his capabilities against players significantly older.”
It’s understood that Gabriel is one of the most highly-rated youngsters at Old Trafford.
In the summer, the teenager won the Most Valuable Player award at a pre-season tournament in Hong Kong.
This is after he bagged two goals and assisted a further two. The prize was presented to him by former United striker Dimitar Berbatov.
In April, it emerged that Gabriel was invited to take part in a warm-up session with the U18s ahead of their Premier League Cup final clash against Manchester City.
The move was intended to give him a taste of what awaits him further down the line.
On current trajectory, it appears that it’s only a matter of time until United fans get to see the talented Gabriel feature for the U18s.
Meanwhile, the senior United team are set to return to action on October 19 when they host Thomas Frank’s Brentford.
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