JJ Gabriel catches Carrick's eye as stunning season could see first team chance

JJ Gabriel has taken the U-18 season by storm and now might be the moment for him to step into Michael Carrick's plans.

The 15-year-old has become the youngest-ever winner of Manchester United's prestigious Academy honour.

He was prevented from playing in the Premier League due to age restrictions and his only hope of a first team debut this season disappeared when United lost to Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup.

But he excelled throughout the campaign and beats the record previously held by Angel Gomes, who was 16 years and eight months old when getting the accolade in 2017.

He has been regularly watched by Carrick and his coaching staff so there is no chance of hi flying under the radar.

The leading scorer found the net in the FA Youth Cup ties against Peterborough United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, in addition to the away game at Oxford United, and has sparkled in the Under-18 Premier League.

He represented Darren Fletcher's side in the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City at the Joie Stadium after having been crowned the inaugural winner of the Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season trophy on Tuesday night.

"He's doing really well, JJ," said Carrick. "We're always trying to give that exposure to players, for them to come and train and feel it.

"JJ is a big talent. It's pretty obvious to know that and he's had a really good season for the under-18s. We obviously think an awful lot of him. But patience is important in managing everything that comes with that.

"It is about picking the right moment to step up, picking the moment to leave them in a certain place. What he's done when he's trained, he's done well as you'd expect."

One highlight of his tremendous league season was a hat-trick in the 7-0 win at Liverpool in November and he also scored twice in the reverse fixture at Carrington last month.

The forward follows in the footsteps of same famous names of the past, including, to name a few, Norman Whiteside, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Wes Brown, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo. Defender Harry Amass was the recipient of the Jimmy Murphy award in 2024/25.