Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel only need 45 minutes to score for their U18s as he continued to underline his credentials after being invited to train with the first-team by Ruben Amorim.
Gabriel is just 14, but has been fast-tracked in the United academy after some stellar performances and continues to perform well above his age group. And now Amorim has made him aware that he will be given the opportunity to train with the first team on occasions this season.
Amorim was told about the teenager's progress earlier in the summer and was shown video clips of Gabriel during United’s pre-season tour of the United States. He has since taken a keen interest in his development and has sat down to meet Gabriel, claims the BBC.
The pair met at Carrington and the youngster watched the opening Premier League match of the season against Arsenal from the directors’ box at Old Trafford.
Gabriel looks to be paying back the faith shown in him and was on target twice as United's U18s hammered Middlesbrough 5-0. The 14-year-old scoring shortly before half-time and then again 20 minutes from the end during the rout.
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The winger committed his future to the Manchester outfit earlier in the summer, with the club’s technical director Jason Wilcox playing a role in those discussions. That is unusual for an academy player so young and highlights just how highly he is thought of at the club.
Gabriel put himself on notice after scoring twice for the U18s in a 13-1 hammering of Leeds in April. That saw him become the youngest ever player to feature for United’s U18s and the team’s manager, Darren Fletcher, is the man aiding his development.
The 14-year-old's incredible rise is summed up by the fact he won’t be able to play in their FA Youth Cup campaign because he is still too young. Amorim made it clear that, this summer, he wanted to combine smart recruitment with utilising the academy to produce a squad that had quality and depth.
He said: "Then we have a plan that is to bring [in] some new players. Our big plan is to improve the team we have and improve the academy as that is our future, as it was in past. It's not going to change so much."
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