JJ Gabriel should be told 'we don't want you' by Man Utd says former player

Nicky Butt says that JJ Gabriel should "just go" after trying to dictate to Manchester United.

The latest development has seen the 15-year-old train on the outskirts of Barcelona like he was doing over the summer, after saying he wanted to leave United.

And Butt believes that no matter how good he is, then he should leave saying the club doesn't want "characters like that".

The former United midfielder also questioned what is going on at the club for a player to want to leave.

"What is happening there to not give the young boys the vision of where they are going to be in two or three years, who is speaking to him," said Butt.

"When you look at the coaches we had, we had great coaches Brian Kidd, Jim Ryan, Eric Harrison, obviously the manager above that (Alex Ferguson) who was talking to us all the time, and that was an important part of the football club.

He continued: "A big part of that football club is bringing young players through. It appears he (Gabriel) is the next big thing, and the flip side of that coin is, if you are going to have a young player like that trying to dictate to the club at 15 or 16....

"I would be just say go, go, we don't want characters like that."

Gabriel asked United to release him from his contract last month after deciding he wanted to leave Old Trafford, but the club rejected his request and remain keen to retain one of the most highly-rated young players in their academy.

Gabriel has been in Spain since making his request and has been training privately in an effort to maintain his fitness.

The teenager has been working with private coach Jack Hunter at the British School Stadium in Castelldefels, close to Barcelona, as he waits for the situation surrounding his United future to be resolved.

Gabriel and his family are understood to be regular visitors to Barcelona and have explored the possibility of a move to the Catalan club. Real Madrid are also thought to be among the clubs monitoring his situation.

Barcelona sporting director Deco was asked about Gabriel this week but played down any suggestion that the club are currently pursuing the teenager.

"There's nothing to say about this boy," Deco said at the Portugal Football Summit. "It's normal that players are linked with us. It always happens. There's a huge market for that with a lot of interests involved, even when [players] are young.

"But we are not interested in any player in his situation. I'm not sure what's happening, and if he's still a Manchester United player. We are not involved in that.

"First of all, we need to understand how the situation is before we try to do something. To speak about young, teenage players, it is not our business."

The youngster has enjoyed a remarkable rise at Old Trafford. He was named both the Premier League Under-18 Player of the Year and United's Under-18 Player of the Year last season, despite beginning the campaign aged just 14.

Gabriel also made his senior debut during pre-season against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm before scoring a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League Under-19 debut.

His future has subsequently become one of the biggest talking points surrounding United's academy, with the club keen to convince him to remain in Manchester.

Gabriel will turn 16 next week, but that milestone will not immediately allow him to sign professional terms.

Under the current rules, he cannot sign a professional contract with a club until he reaches the age of 17, leaving United facing a potentially complicated situation over the next stage of his development.