JJ Gabriel saga blows open the myth of Man Utd academy

Analysis

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Whether JJ Gabriel stays or leaves Man Utd, the saga surrounding the 15-year-old has exposed an uncomfortable question at Old Trafford: is the club's vaunted academy still producing players capable of reaching the very top of the game?

Manchester United hold the distinction of having one of sport’s greatest streaks. For nearly 90 years now, every match the Red Devils have played, they have had at least one academy product in their squad.

It’s a record that the club is rightly proud of, but while there is no sign of the streak, which started in 1937, ending, the messy JJ Gabriel saga does point to trouble in the academy.

Is Man Utd’s academy talent drying up?

One of the key reasons behind Gabriel’s desire to seek a move is the decline in quality of Man Utd, according to a report from the Daily Mail. This claims that Man Utd are “far away” from the standards set by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester City.

The 15-year-old wants to “learn from the best”, and he believes this will be impossible at United.

And he may have a point. For all United’s history of giving academy players an opportunity, their ability to transform their graduates into world-class footballers has rather dried up since Marcus Rashford exploded onto the scene as an 18-year-old in 2016.

Since then, Scott McTominay, who had to leave the club to find his best level at Napoli, and Kobbie Mainoo are perhaps the only two players who have spent three or more years in the academy before going on to make a genuine impact at United and subsequently the highest level.

Gabriel has no intention of becoming a mid-ranking Premier League player like Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Elanga or Dean Henderson. His desire is to be a Ryan Giggs, David Beckham or Paul Scholes.

Such players coming through at United, though, have effectively dried up over the last decade. Instead, it has acted as a finishing school for the likes of Garnacho and Ayden Heaven, who have spent brief periods in its midst after being signed from other giants before moving to the first team. Others, such as the much-hyped Chido Obi, who as he approaches his 19th birthday is playing for struggling Eredivisie side Willem II on loan, have all but vanished.

Are Man Utd being left behind in player development?

Gabriel is looking at the situation after four years in the Man Utd academy and assessing his options.

What evidence is there to suggest that the Red Devils are the club to guide him through a tricky evolutionary period in his career from youth star to first-team player? Over the course of the last 10 years, not a great deal.

And then there are his options on the continent. Real Madrid moulded Vinicius Junior from teen sensation into global superstar and showed a commitment to investing in youth by recruiting Yan Diomande at unprecedented expense this summer. Barcelona’s reputation with La Masia continues to grow month-by-month, led by Lamine Yamal. Bayern Munich have produced one of Europe’s most exciting young players in Lennart Karl while PSG won the Champions League for a second time with three academy graduates among their ranks.

Within the Premier League, Arsenal can point to Max Dowman getting first-team opportunities and the growing faith Mikel Arteta has in Myles Lewis-Skelly. Manchester City, meanwhile, have a flow of academy players successfully knocking on the door to the first team.

United have not only fallen behind the quality of these teams, but they have also lost the ability to produce stars. Gabriel and his entourage have recognised this and have acted. The way they have done so quite so publicly is questionable, but it’s difficult to argue with the teenager’s logic and is a perception that Man Utd must change in the coming months if they are to retain their best talent.