JJ Gabriel 'likely had promise' from European giant before rejecting Man Utd

JJ Gabriel is likely to have had a "promise" from a top European club before walking out on Manchester United believe club insiders.

The youngster's future remains unresolved, but it is increasingly likely the teenage sensation will continue his career elsewhere in Europe.

Real Madrid and Barcelona retain a strong interest in the 16-year-old, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also monitoring his situation closely.

Gabriel turned 16 on Tuesday, a significant moment in the increasingly complicated situation because it is the age at which European clubs can potentially sign him to a professional contract.

The teenager is eligible to apply for a European passport through his parents, and that could open up a route away from United despite his current registration with the club.

United are understood to be ready to consider legal action if Gabriel leaves for a European club using a FIFA loophole.

But that is unlikely to be a major concern for Gabriel or his family as they consider their next move.

The youngster was pictured in United's official squad photo for the 2026/27 season on Monday, but that does not appear to have changed the expectation that he will leave Old Trafford.

The photo was actually taken on September 8, when Gabriel remained at the club and was expected to feature in Michael Carrick's plans. Just days later, Gabriel and his family formally requested that he be allowed to leave.

Gabriel remains registered as a United player and the club has made multiple attempts to repair the relationship, with his welfare and long-term development central to those discussions.

However, no breakthrough has been reached and Gabriel has not trained with United since.

United's position is that they have done everything possible to demonstrate a pathway towards first-team football while protecting Gabriel's development.

The teenager trained with Carrick's first-team squad during pre-season and made his senior debut in the friendly against Atletico Madrid.

United also included him in the first-team squad photograph as an indication that he was part of their plans for the campaign.

But Gabriel's family have a different view of how quickly he should be involved at senior level.

The youngster played only eight to nine minutes against Atletico, with his camp wanting considerably more first-team exposure.

That disagreement has been building for some time.

Gabriel did not report back with United's academy at the beginning of pre-season as expected. The U21s returned to Carrington a week before the senior squad, but his family believed he should be working exclusively with the first team.

United subsequently put an individual development programme in place for Gabriel involving first-team coaches as well as the club's medical and performance departments.

The intention was to give one of the academy's most highly rated players an individual pathway while ensuring his physical development and welfare were properly managed.

For a period, there was a belief inside the club that the relationship with Gabriel's family remained harmonious.

The major disagreement appears to have centred on how much first-team football he would receive.

Gabriel's family wanted him to feature for at least 20 minutes against Sabah in the Champions League, Brighton in the FA Cup and Bournemouth in the Premier League on October 25.

The plan was then to begin discussions over a scholarship contract to secure his future at United.

Gabriel was not eligible for United's Champions League match against Sabah because he had not been included on the club's A-list.

Instead, he played for the Under-19s against the Azerbaijani side in the UEFA Youth League and scored a hat-trick.

From United's perspective, the performance was another demonstration of why they believe he should continue his development within the club's structure.

But from Gabriel's camp, the situation reinforced the belief that he should already be playing a greater role in senior football.

Now that he has turned 16, Gabriel would automatically become eligible for United's B-list and could therefore be included in future first-team matchday squads.

That development has come at a crucial point in the dispute.

No club-to-club contact has been made over Gabriel's availability, according to Sky Sports News, but talks have taken place between his camp and representatives of European giants including Barcelona and Real Madrid.

PSG and Bayern are also keeping tabs on the situation.

There is a belief inside United that the tension centres partly on a difference in priorities, with Gabriel's family keen to pursue historic achievements at a young age while the club believes his long-term development should take precedence.

United also suspect that the dramatic change in the situation around the Sabah match may have been influenced by promises or approaches from elsewhere, although at this point there is no proof.