Who is JJ Gabriel, the prodigy pushing for an exit from Manchester United?

Nicknamed ‘Kid Messi’, Gabriel is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world at the junior level.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Manchester United youth player JJ Gabriel is reportedly pushing for his exit from the club, according to various outlets based in the UK.

Interestingly, the development comes at a time when Gabriel was set to be named in the first team squad for the Carabao Cup clash against Brighton on Wednesday. Should he play in that game, which looks unlikely at the moment, he will have become United’s youngest ever debutant.

Nicknamed ‘Kid Messi’, Gabriel is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world at the junior level.

Having joined United when he was 11, Gabriel, who is now 15-years-old and plays as an attacker, scored more than 20 goals across all competitions last season, and won the inaugural Premier League Under-18s player-of-the-year award.

Just last week, he shot to prominence again after scoring a hattrick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League.

He also became the youngest winner of United’s Jimmy Murphy young-player-of-the-year award. Previous winners include Ryan Giggs, Norman Whiteside, Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford and Mark Hughes.

The teenager had attracted interest from club rival Manchester City last season, along with Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich in the past.

Gabriel will become a free agent if his request goes through, and will not be able to join another club under a professional contract until he turns 17, as per the rules.