JJ Gabriel posts message from Ronaldo on 'mentality' as he pushes for Man Utd chance

JJ Gabriel has posted a message from Cristiano Ronaldo about "mentality" as he pushes for a place in the Manchester United side.

The highly-rated 15-year-old made his debut in the preseason friendly with Atletico Madrid coming off the bench in the second half.

Although Gabriel was only on the pitch for the final eight minutes, supporters were finally given a glimpse of one of the most exciting talents to emerge from Carrington in recent years.

Michael Carrick's plan is clearly to introduce him slowly into the first team as he is still very raw.

He was not included in the squad which drew with Paris Saint Germain at the weekend but he remains a key figure in the club's building for the future.

And Gabriel has used social media to send out the right messages showing that he is ready to wait for his chances.

He put on an Instagram post "patience" before he made his debut against Atletico and now he has uploaded a message from United legend Ronaldo about having the right mentality.

He shared the post where Ronaldo said: "For me the most important thing is mentality, self talk positive, all the details depend on you, you have to have the right mentality.

"In my mind I'm always the best, I don't care what people are thinking, what they say. In my mind not just this year but always I am the best."

Clearly to reach the top and stay there, you need to have a strong mentality and there is no one more clear in this area than Ronaldo who has shown discipline throughout his career which has allowed him to keep playing at the age of 41.

On his debut against Atletico after having his first touch he was quickly shown what he can expect in the future as he was then met with a robust challenge from experienced Atletico Madrid defender Jose Maria Gimenez, sending the youngster tumbling to the turf.

It was an early reminder of the intensity of first-team football, but Gabriel responded impressively.

He quickly got back to his feet and carried on unfazed.Initially operating in a central attacking role, Gabriel found opportunities difficult to come by before drifting towards the right flank, where he enjoyed more space to influence the game.

There were understandable signs of nerves as he miscontrolled a couple of passes from Mason Mount, but the teenager settled into the occasion.

One positive run saw him cut inside before his shot was blocked, while he also linked up neatly with Leny Yoro in one of United's more fluid attacking moves late in the game.

Gabriel's willingness to keep demanding possession was another encouraging sign, and he almost won a late penalty after being knocked over inside the area by a much more physically imposing defender.

It was only a brief cameo, but it represented another significant milestone in his remarkable rise.

Last season, Gabriel announced himself as one of the country's elite academy prospects by scoring 29 goals across the Under-18 Premier League and FA YouthCup despite competing against players several years older than himself.

His performances earned him the Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season award and accelerated his progression into first-team training.