Top Manchester United academy prospect JJ Gabriel asks to leave club

MANCHESTER: Manchester United has been rocked by the news that one of its brightest prospects JJ Gabriel has asked to leave the club.

The 15-year-old youth player was the club's Academy player of the year last season and is regarded as one of the hottest talents in his age group in Europe.

A person with knowledge of the situation said United was unclear why Gabriel wanted to leave and that the club remained hopeful the situation could be rectified. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Gabriel, who is a striker, was due to be included in United's first team squad for the first time in a competitive match in Wednesday's English League Cup game against Brighton.

Just last week United greats Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand spoke of Gabriel as an immense talent.

"He's off both feet, ridiculous, getting a yard and just bang. So small, so slight, doesn't allow people to make contact," Ferdinand said.

Giggs added: "I think he is sort of a generational talent."

Gabriel was named the Under-18 Premier League player of the year last year, scoring 20 goals in just 21 appearances. He started this season with a bang, scoring a hat trick when making his Uefa Youth League debut against Sabah.

United is famed for developing homegrown talent like Giggs, David Beckham and Marcus Rashford, among others.

Ferdinand and Giggs spoke before news of Gabriel's request to leave.

Speaking on Ferdinand's 'The Debrief' podcast, Giggs said the teenager was at "the best club because (of) the history of young players coming through and how they're looked after."