Man Utd Teenager JJ Gabriel Set to Leave Old Trafford

Gabriel has informed Manchester United that he wishes to have his registration cancelled, with Barcelona and Real Madrid understood to be the frontrunners for his signature.

Gabriel had looked set to make his senior debut against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. He was left out of the squad instead, after dropping the news of his intended departure. United went 2-0 up inside the opening 10 minutes against Brighton, only for the Seagulls to come back and win 3-2 at Old Trafford, adding pressure on Michael Carrick's position.

By the Mail's account, United tried 11 separate approaches to keep the teenager. One was the offer of a first-team debut that would have broken a record standing since 1956, when David Gaskell became United's youngest-ever player at 16 years and 19 days. Gabriel has scored twice in two Premier League 2 outings this season but did not train on Monday or Tuesday, and now looks set to be pushed back to Under-21 level.

Gabriel holds an EU passport, meaning he would be free to move at 16 — an age he reaches in October.

Roy Keane told The Overlap United could have few complaints.

On the Stick to Football podcast, Keane also urged patience over throwing the teenager straight into Carrick's first team, questioning whether Gabriel could not simply wait for his chance.

Carrick has said he is involved with the club's hierarchy in discussions over Gabriel's future, and has called for the situation to be handled carefully.