Manchester United's refusal to bow to the demands of JJ Gabriel's camp is vindicated by the club's proud history of youth development, which continues to be a gold standard in football.
The teenager's camp wanted Gabriel to play at least 20 minutes in three different games for United before even considering scholarship talks with the club. The demands were made for appearances against Sabah in the Champions League, Brighton in the Carabao Cup and Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Record of academy graduates
When United posted their starting XI to face Fulham on social media last month, the number 4,368 was circled and visible at the top of the graphic. That figure represents the number of successive matches in which United have fielded an academy graduate in a matchday squad, dating back to October 30, 1937.
When the three-week break for international football comes to an end on Saturday and United face Tottenham at Old Trafford, that number will rise to 4,369. The club is approaching 89 years of being the gold standard in youth development, giving young players an opportunity to show what they can do.
Using that number in a matchday graphic is a new addition this season. There have already been notable academy achievements this term, including a first goal for Shea Lacey and Champions League debuts for Harry Amass and Lacey.
Gabriel's demands rejected
It should also have been the year that Gabriel emerged onto the first-team scene. Gabriel, who turns 16 today, would have become United's youngest-ever first-team player. His age-group performances have marked him out as one of the most exciting young players to emerge from the academy in a generation.
But that wasn't enough for Gabriel and his camp. They made the demand that he should actually get at least 20 minutes against Sabah, Brighton and Bournemouth, and only then would they consider opening scholarship talks with the club. For a club with a gilded reputation of developing young players and then playing them when they are ready, regardless of age, it's fair to say that they haven't been held to ransom by a 15-year-old and his camp before.
United have done all they can to show Gabriel the pathway is there, and the intention was to hand him a debut early in the season and give him first-team opportunities this term. That this wasn't considered enough, and that Gabriel's camp made a demand they knew would be rejected, suggests minds were already made up, and that this was simply a useful decoy for their intention to leave the club.
Compensation and future
It is no coincidence that super-agent Ali Barat, who facilitated talks with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, received a licence from the Football Association to represent minors around the same time that Gabriel's family told United he wouldn't be returning to the club.
Now that Gabriel has turned 16, he could seal a move to Europe using an EU passport, although it remains unclear whether he actually has the correct documentation as it stands. United would be due only around £200,000 to £300,000 in compensation, which is a paltry sum for the time and money they have invested in his development.
That is why they will keep their legal options open, although the priority remains to try and reconcile the situation and United's immediate thoughts are of a duty of care towards a young boy. The images of Gabriel rejoicing in his UEFA Youth League hat-trick against Sabah just hours before his camp told the club he wants out should serve as a reminder of the innocence of his age.
Whatever happens, United's proud record of developing young footballers will continue. By the end of this season, that number at the top of the graphic will have ticked over to 4,400 games, whether Gabriel wants a part of that or not.
