Manchester United's 15-year-old academy star JJ Gabriel has made a social media U-turn after requesting to leave the club, while Patrick Vieira has revealed a secret meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Gabriel's Instagram U-turn
Gabriel, one of United's most promising young talents, cleared his Instagram account entirely earlier in September. Shortly afterwards, it emerged that he wished to depart the club.
United have rejected the chance to cancel his registration, which represents his sole avenue for an immediate departure, given he is too young to sign either a scholarship or professional contract.
However, when he turns 16 on October 6, United would be left powerless, and he would be free to join another European club provided he secured the necessary documentation. Barcelona and Real Madrid are amongst the clubs reportedly interested.
While Gabriel does not seem to have relented, he has reinstated certain posts to his Instagram account following a wholesale deletion. Two posts have reappeared on the profile.
The first shows Gabriel after he signed a long-term deal with Nike in late 2025. The second depicts the 15-year-old receiving the Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season Award from 2025/26, beaming alongside Alan Shearer and his trophy.
Instagram allows users to archive posts and restore them to their feed at any time. Users may also retrieve deleted material within 30 days of removal, though it remains unclear which method Gabriel employed.
Vieira's secret Man Utd meeting
Meanwhile, former Arsenal legend and current Senegal head coach Patrick Vieira has revealed he once held a clandestine meeting with iconic former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who tried to lure him to Old Trafford.
The Frenchman was a standout for Arsenal from 1996 to 2005, claiming three Premier League titles and four FA Cups. During this era, United and Arsenal frequently clashed as fierce rivals, with Vieira notably developing a rivalry with Roy Keane.
However, he has now revealed that Ferguson sought to pair him alongside Keane and he actually held discussions with the Scotsman regarding a switch from the Gunners. The timing of this meeting remains uncertain, though United were reportedly interested in Vieira during 2003.
"I had an opportunity to move to Manchester United," Vieira told Sky Sports. "I had a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson. Full respect, I couldn't say no to meeting him because he was an important figure in the Premier League."
"We met and we talked and he explained to me his vision that he had for Manchester United and the team that he wanted to build. He wanted to play me with Keane, [Ryan] Giggs on the left-hand side, David Beckham on the right-hand side and [Paul] Scholes to play behind [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, so it wasn't a bad team."
"But I couldn't leave Arsenal, I was too happy there and we were on the way of building something quite really special for the club and that's the way it was. I felt the love from the club, from the players and from the fans. Everything was there for me to grow up as a player and to achieve what I wanted to."
