Manchester United face a significant blow in attack as youth prospect JJ Gabriel is reported to be on the verge of leaving the club. According to German newspaper Bild, Gabriel "will definitely leave United" and will depart by next summer at the latest. He is also all but certain to leave the Premier League, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain queuing up for his signature.
Gabriel's European options and eligibility
The teenager's chances of landing a move to one of the continental juggernauts are aided by the fact he is unlikely to have an issue obtaining an EU passport. Any non-EU citizen would be prevented from representing the first team of a club like Barcelona or Bayern until their 18th birthday.
However, Gabriel's pathway should be smoothened by the fact his mother is Cypriot while his dad, Joe, represented the Republic of Ireland. That being said, Bild's report also mentions he and his team are favouring a move to Spain at present.
Reasons behind the exit and United's struggles
A lack of realistic title prospects in the immediate future is supposedly a major factor in Gabriel's decision-making. Having already seen a request to be de-registered at United rebuffed, it appears only a matter of time before the club's brightest gem departs.
The decision will come as a blow to many United fans who were hoping to see Gabriel become the poster boy of the side. Gabriel spent time with Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham prior to joining United in 2022 but is seemingly bound for European shores.
Meanwhile, the team has gone three games without a win after only just managing to scrape a point from their trip to Fulham last weekend. Currently 12th in the Premier League, a 5-2 win over Ipswich in August remains the club's only top-flight win of the campaign to date. Carrick's men have managed to keep just a single clean sheet from seven outings across all competitions.
Rooney questions Sesko's mentality
Wayne Rooney has joined the chorus of ex-United stars questioning Benjamin Sesko's mentality after his recent injury troubles. The striker recently pulled out of Slovenia's international squad, having missed Sunday's 1-1 draw against Fulham with a shin injury.
It is the same issue that has been plaguing the 6'5" frontman since the end of last season when he fell awkwardly at the side of the pitch. United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt each questioned the setback on The Good, The Bad and The Football, especially when United are so short of options up front. Butt commented: "you either break your shin, or you play" as he appeared to raise umbrage with Sesko's resolve.
And Rooney has taken his turn in wondering whether Sesko has the right resolve to play for his former club. "Shin? Has he broken it? You can hurt your shin, you can take tackles… I bet he’s wearing them little stupid shinpads as well," he said on the Stick to United podcast. "If you’re trying to play No. 9 [for United] and you’ve got a must-win game and you’ve got a sore shin and you’re not playing...that’s a big part of the problem. Unless you physically can’t play, you play when you’re injured. I remember before games we used to get injections and the doctor used to put them in your a**e."
