Manchester United’s academy has always been an exciting place for the development of young talent in the world of football, however one star in particular getting significant attention is JJ Gabriel.
The 14-year-old centre-forward has been called up to United’s Under-18s side, showing the potential he holds to make the step up at such a young age.
Already nicknamed “kid-Messi”, the talented goalscorer has already got the attention of Ruben Amorim who is personally monitoring the youngster, with the Portuguese coach meeting Gabriel at Carrington to plan his ongoing involvement in senior training.
Only three games into the new Under-18s season and Gabriel is already showing why Amorim is taking note, with the centre-forward having already recorded five goals in two games, having scored a brace against Middlesbrough and a first-half hat-trick against Derby County.
As such, Statman Dave has reported that JJ Gabriel is now the second top goalscorer in the league, despite being only 14 years old.
The Under-18s side are now undefeated so far in the league, having won all three fixtures, beating Everton 1-0, Middlesbrough 5-0 and Derby 4-0.
Now United are sat in second place, joint on points with local rivals Manchester City as The Citizens sit in first place on the same goal difference, however have scored four more goals thanks to a 7-3 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers.
This strong start from United shows signs of replicating last season’s impressive run which saw The Red Devils go on a 14 game winning streak only to be ended by Manchester City in their only loss of the season.
As such, Darren Fetcher will be hoping that his debut season as the Under-18s coach will be just as successful, if not more so, looking to topple City off of the top spot.
14-year-old JJ Gabriel is the second top goalscorer in the U18 Premier League this season, having scored 5 goals in 3 games.
Remember the name… 🌟 pic.twitter.com/olpC0A6aIH
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 3, 2025
