Real Madrid have been urged not to repeat the mistake they made with Martin Odegaard as they close in on Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel. The teenager is on the verge of joining the Spanish giants after requesting to leave Old Trafford.
Gabriel has been absent from the club since asking to have his registration cancelled. United refused the request, but Gabriel has obtained a European Union passport, which allows him to join a club outside England.
Interest from Barcelona and Bayern Munich
Real are in pole position to sign the youngster, who also attracted interest from Barcelona and Bayern Munich. If completed, the move would echo Odegaard's transfer to the Bernabeu as a 15-year-old.
Odegaard made just 11 first-team appearances for Real amid various loan spells before eventually joining Arsenal in 2021. He was not wanted by then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, who branded the signing a "PR exercise" by club president Florentino Perez, and was given little game time by Zinedine Zidane.
Lessons from the Odegaard episode
Real's handling of Odegaard was controversial, as he was given a lucrative first-team contract only to be made to train with the club's B team. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague believes Los Blancos will have learned lessons from that episode as they prepare to welcome Gabriel.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Balague said: "The first thing is, what an experience for him to go abroad, learn another language, be in another football culture."
"Secondly, I think 16-year-olds are better prepared than ever to be able to do that in terms of intelligence and adaptation. And thirdly, they hope not to do the Odegaard thing of giving him a first-team contract but training with the B side."
"The B-side players were looking at Odegaard and saying, 'I'm not going to pass to the ball this guy, at the weekend he isn't going to play with us.' I hope they get that right but it's a brilliant signing for Real Madrid."
United still hold Gabriel's registration
United still hold Gabriel's registration, despite the player not returning to Old Trafford or Carrington since walking out after scoring a hat-trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League in September. The club's subsequent attempts to reach his family over concerns for his welfare have been rebuffed.
Gabriel was set to become United's youngest-ever first-team player against Brighton in the Carabao Cup. But he was pulled out of the club three weeks before he turned 16, with his family unhappy with his progression plan. They had demanded that Gabriel feature against Sabah in the Champions League as well as in the Carabao Cup, while also making a Premier League debut.
