JJ Gabriel: ‘Duty of care’ alarm raised over Man Utd teen

18 Sept 2026 08:25 BST | 3 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Gary Neville has expressed severe ‘duty of care’ concerns over the treatment of Manchester United academy player JJ Gabriel, who has gone public with his desire to leave the Old Trafford club.

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Gabriel, 15, has found himself in the eye of a media storm this week after announcing that he wants to leave the club. Regarded as the hottest academy product produced by the Red Devils in a footballing generation, his exit has been compared to that of Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona before playing a first-team game.

Former England defender and now respected pundit Neville has serious concerns over the manner in which this situation has played out in the media and has pointed his finger squarely at those representing the teenager.

Speaking on The Overlap, he said: “The player’s representatives have definitely leaked this. They’ve decided they want to go with the nuclear option and go bang: JJ Gabriel to leave Manchester United.

“That, to me, is my concern. Whose representatives think that is good for the kid? That is not good.

“From the point of view of a duty of care for a 15-year-old, a 15-year-old kid this morning is the back-page story of every newspaper in the country. How are you looking after that kid?

“I don’t care if you think he should be playing or not because, to be fair, if you think he should be playing, great. No problem with that; I’m sure lots of parents and representatives think their kid should be playing.

“However, why would you want that leaking out to the papers?”

The incident that ‘broke’ Gabriel at Man Utd

Gabriel is said to be frustrated that other Man Utd academy stars have been given playing time before him, with The Sun citing the example of Harry Amass and Shea Lacey featuring against Sabah in the Champions League as the incident that “broke” the teenager.

United manager Michael Carrick has already addressed the situation, explaining to the Manchester Evening News: “I just think we’ve got to be really careful of the whole situation, you know.

“He’s a young boy, he’s 15, and for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, is looking after our younger players, their welfare, their well-being, their exposure, and I think we’ve got to be really, all of us, I think we’ve got to be really conscious of that, really, in this situation.”

United face a battle to retain Gabriel

Real Madrid are said to be leading the chase for the attacker, who can sign a training contract with the Spanish club on 6 October, which is his 16th birthday. Barcelona, PSG, Manchester City and Chelsea are all following the situation too.

Although still a minor under FIFA regulations, Gabriel is eligible to move abroad if he holds an EU passport, which is possible as his dad is a former Republic of Ireland player while his mother is Cypriot.

United are reportedly still fighting to retain the youngster, but the prevailing logic suggests he will leave.