JJ Gabriel in Man Utd team photo despite telling club he wants to leave
JJ Gabriel is front and centre in Manchester United's official senior team photo, even though he has told the club he wants to leave.
United released this season's official photographs on Monday 5 October. They were taken on 8 September, according to BBC. Gabriel played his last game for the club two days later, then informed United of his intention to quit. He was due to turn 16 on Tuesday 6 October.
His decision was triggered by one night. Gabriel was left out of manager Michael Carrick's squad for the Champions League match against Sabah FK on 10 September. Sabah are the champions of Azerbaijan and were United's opponents in the league phase, the opening round-robin stage of the competition.
People close to the player had wanted him to be used as a substitute in that game. United officials said the plan was different. They pointed to the EFL Cup tie against Brighton on 16 September, England's main knockout cup for league clubs, as a possible debut.
Either appearance would have made history. Had he played against Sabah or Brighton, Gabriel would have become United's youngest ever player.
It never got that far. He could not have faced Sabah for the first team in any case, because he was not named on United's UEFA A list announced on 3 September. That is the main registered squad for European matches. By the time Brighton came around, Gabriel had already told United he wanted to go and had left the country.
On the same night as that Sabah first-team game, 10 September, he scored a hat-trick for United's youngsters against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League at Leigh Sports Village. The Youth League is UEFA's under-19 European competition. He has not been back to United since, according to BBC.
United still hold his registration. Sources close to Old Trafford said the club have made multiple attempts to patch things up, with no success so far. No clubs had approached United about him at the time of the report.
Interest is building elsewhere. Real Madrid and Barcelona are among several of Europe's top clubs watching him closely. He now holds a European Union passport, which would make a move abroad simpler. United would consider legal action if evidence emerged of an illegal inducement by a club or agent that broke rules on young players.
Gabriel is a forward who wears No 77 for United's Under-18s. His full name is Joseph Junior Andreou O'Cearuill. United lobbied the Premier League to let him wear 'JJ Gabriel' on his shirt.
He committed to United in the summer of 2025 at age 14. Last season he scored 23 league goals and was named United's Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year, the club's main academy prize, as its youngest ever winner. United say they gave him first-team care and services, including regular meetings with senior coaches and nutritionists. He did not report for the start of academy pre-season training at the beginning of July despite being asked to do so.
What makes this stand out is the photo itself. Team pictures are meant to show who is in for the fight. This one includes a 15-year-old talent who may already have played his last game for the club.
