JJ Gabriel has had a glimpse of what his future might look like away from Manchester United should he sign for Real Madrid, with Jose Mourinho's defence of his youth policy potentially fast-tracking the 16-year-old into senior football.
The wantaway Manchester United wonderkid stunned the Premier League giants in September when requesting to leave the club and have his registration cancelled. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich all had interest in the teenager, but it is the 15-time European champions who appear to have won the race.
Expected January Move to Madrid
Gabriel is expected to sign for Mourinho's side in January on a long-term contract at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Athletic reports that the deal to acquire the forward - who is expected to play for Madrid's Castilla team - is subject to FIFA regulations and is reportedly advanced.
The teenager's desire to leave United is said to stem from his camp's belief that the club are not at the level of the European giants that have registered interest in his services. Gabriel's exclusion from the club's Champions League squad reportedly left his family disappointed and was a major factor in his decision to leave.
Mourinho's Youth Policy Defence
A speedy ascent to first-team football this season was a clear motivator for Gabriel, whose representatives requested that he feature for at least 20 minutes across United's matches against Sabah, Brighton and Bournemouth, according to the Manchester Evening News. The request was snubbed and eventually contributed to Gabriel's desire to seek pastures new.
While Madrid is known for platforming world-class players rather than promising young talent, Gabriel could find hope under Mourinho, who once outlined his promotion of academy stars in his first press conference as United boss in 2016. The Portuguese boss had been criticised for the lack of youth players that featured across his tenures at Chelsea, Inter Milan and his first stint at Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
In true Mourinho fashion, he came prepared to challenge his critics as he claimed: "I have promoted 49 youth players from academies. If you want, I can give you that list." He then showed a list to the room and continued: "Two factors that are very important on these records, because sometimes you promote because you don’t have another chance or so many injuries, you have to bring them in."
"The second factor is when you are not playing for big targets, then it is easier to bring them up. My record with injuries is very low – even from the UEFA studies, there were many times the team with the least injuries in the whole of Europe was mine."
Mourinho then discussed the quality of the players he's promoted and the accolades they've earned at the highest level of the game. He added: "Last year, the only season of my career that I was not fighting for the title – every other season I was winning or finishing second, or finish third once but still fighting for the title."
"I still did 49 and some of them we are speaking about big names – players that today are Champions League winners, playing for national teams. Forty-nine is a lot. Once more – it’s one lie repeated many times. Sometimes it looks like it might be true but it is always true. Many of you… the names. If you want them, I’ll give them to you."
While JJ Gabriel is leaving United because of a lack of opportunities, Mourinho's words suggest he will be willing to give anyone a chance to prove themselves if they have the talent.
