Leny Yoro has told JJ Gabriel to keep his feet on the ground after the 15-year-old made his senior debut for Manchester United in Saturday's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm.
Yoro, who made his own competitive debut for Lille at 16 and moved to Manchester United for £52m in the summer of 2024, is well placed to talk about Gabriel. He became the most expensive footballer aged 18 or under in the history of the game.
First outing under Michael Carrick
Gabriel came off the bench for his first senior appearance in the pre-season friendly, having trained regularly with the first team last season and travelled to Trondheim for the win against Rosenborg the weekend before.
The teenager lit up the Strawberry Arena with a lively late cameo, adding to a season in which he scored 26 goals in 26 games in the Under-18 Premier League. His performances have attracted interest from Barcelona, with United desperate to keep hold of a forward who looks like a generational talent.
Yoro's advice for the young forward
"He's a really good player," Yoro said. "Still really young, still a lot to learn, a lot to improve. He's really humble, still working, so I'm happy for him to get his first minutes, so I hope for him it's going to continue like that."
Comparing their journeys, Yoro added: "I can see myself. [I would say] stay humble, just want to work, and this is what we need in the team, even for the young guys. They're all doing really well, and JJ is one of them, so I hope he's going to learn a lot, continue like that, improve, yeah. But he's really good, a good player."
