Manchester United are said to be 'in total shock' at the remarkable talent of JJ Gabriel as the 15-year-old continues his rapid rise towards Michael Carrick's first-team squad.
Gabriel, who regularly trains with United's senior players, was given an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities with the first team during pre-season. While the club intend to carefully manage his development, they acknowledge they have a special prospect on their books.
Hat-trick in UEFA Youth League
In the hours before United's Champions League win over Sabah FK, their under-19s were in action at the Leigh Training Centre for the UEFA Youth League encounter. Gabriel continued his impressive start to the season, scoring a hat-trick as the young Reds cruised to a 5-0 victory, and became the youngest United player in the club's history to accomplish the feat in the competition, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano said: "It's going to be important to see how Manchester United manage JJ in terms of involving him in the first team in official games.
"That's going to be an important topic because everyone at Manchester United, when they speak about JJ Gabriel, is in total shock at how good this boy is."
Promotion to Under-21s
United have already taken the decision to promote Gabriel to the under-21s squad this season, and he continues to feature on the fringes of the first team. Supporters are eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the teenager in a competitive senior fixture for the club.
Carrick has regularly attended United's youth fixtures, keeping a close eye on Gabriel's development. Speaking last month after observing Gabriel in action, the Reds head coach said: "I really enjoyed the game. You could see the quality.
"JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development."
Giggs and Lawrence weigh in
The United manager wasn't alone in praising the youngster, with U21s boss Adam Lawrence heaping acclaim on Gabriel following their UEFA Youth League victory. He told the Manchester Evening News: "Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him.
"So when you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity. And I think essentially what you try and do is to set the team up to allow the talent to function and to play free at the right moments."
Former United winger and Wales boss Ryan Giggs has also delivered his verdict on the teenage talent.
"You need to play games, and it's difficult because if you're in squads for the first team, you're not going to turn that down, but also you need minutes on the pitch," he explained to Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel. "A couple of times I went up to the first team and then went back to the youth team - and it's about how you react to that. Are they still showing that same ability when they go back?
"He's at the best club because of the history of young players coming through and how they're looked after. He's got good people around him who have played at the club - Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans.
"It's sort of a generational talent, so there's no point going out on loan because he's at the best place. He'll be dipping in and out of the first team so that experience is invaluable - not only the games and the training, but also travelling with the team and managing the expectation of United. The focus is so huge on Manchester United and you need to get used to that."
