Gabriel heads to Spain amid wild advice as composed Man Utd's Carrick gives composed reply

JJ Gabriel has headed to Spain amid wild advice from his family compared to Manchester United boss Michael Carrick's composed response that what is important is that the 15 year old is "okay".

Under the guidance of United's youth coaches, Gabriel has emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in world football.

But now the youngster wants to leave because of a lack of first team options it appears - despite being just 15.

Understandably he has attracted interest from several of Europe’s biggest clubs, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain among those monitoring the highly-rated forward.

But Barcelona appear to be in pole position, with the player having been based there over the summer and he took photos of himself of current and former players.

It would be ridiculous though to imagine that Gabriel would have more first team options with Barca right now than at United.

United rejected Gabriel’s formal request to leave this week, with club chiefs still attempting to persuade him and his representatives to remain at Old Trafford.

That task appears increasingly difficult, however, with Gabriel and his entourage now in Spain. The youngster has already held talks with Real Madrid over a potential move ahead of his 16th birthday on October 6.

Gabriel is currently in his GCSE year and is homeschooled. United have Gabriel under contract until the end of the season and were preparing to offer him scholarship terms when he turns 16 next month.

However, there is a potential route for him to move abroad after his 16th birthday if he is able to secure an EU passport. Gabriel could potentially qualify through his father’s Irish connections or his mother’s Cypriot background.

Carrick urged caution when asked about Gabriel’s situation at his press conference on Friday, with the teenager currently not part of the club’s full-time programme.

“We have to be careful about the exposure and scrutiny,” Carrick said.

“The situation will work itself out, or whatever way it’s going to work itself out. The most important thing is to make sure he’s okay.”

Gabriel has not returned to Carrington since scoring a hat-trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League last Thursday.

Gabriel had been expected to train with Carrick’s squad ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, where he could have become United’s youngest-ever player. He was ultimately not involved.

It came after he was also left out of United’s Champions League squad and was therefore ineligible for the match against Sabah, despite his subsequent hat-trick at youth level.

His camp reportedly believes expectations over his first-team involvement have not been met.

The contrast with fellow teenage summer signing Tynan Thompson has also been noted. The 17-year-old, who joined from Tottenham, played more minutes than Gabriel during pre-season and was included in United’s European squad.

United now face an increasingly difficult situation involving one of the most highly-rated young players to emerge from their academy in recent years.

Gabriel won both the Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year and United’s Under-18 Player of the Year awards last season, despite being only 14 when the campaign began.

He subsequently made his senior debut against Atletico Madrid in pre-season before scoring a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut. For now, though, his future remains unresolved, with Gabriel continuing to push for a move away from Old Trafford.