“Towering” 17-yo forward spotted in training along with JJ Gabriel as Amorim uses academy to solve injury crisis

Noah Ajayi has become the latest academy starlet to train with the Manchester United first team as Ruben Amorim prepares his squad for the clash with Crystal Palace this weekend. A Difficult Away Fixture The Red Devils face an unforgiving trip to Selhurst Park on Sunday to face Oliver Glasner’s in-form side. The match was originally scheduled for the 12:30pm slot on Saturday, but was pushed back by a day to accommodate Palace’s midweek fixture in the Europa Conference League. Interestingly, the Eagles fell to a 2-1 loss to Ligue 1 hotshots Strasbourg – a disappointing result and a draining away trip. But domestically Palace have been on their best run in Premier League history over the past year, going 19 games unbeaten from April until October – which included the FA Cup triumph over Manchester City in May. A 2-1 loss to Everton brought an end to this impressive streak last month, but Palace have not conceded a goal in their last three league games and will present a major challenge for Amorim’s men. The major benefit of a lack of European football at Old Trafford this season has been the increased opportunity for time on the training pitch at Carrington. This has then allowed for the inclusion of more academy players, with Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher – son of Darren – two of the most notable youngsters to have impressed Amorim and his coaching staff when pitted against their senior teammates. Fresh Blood at Carrington But it was the turn of another newcomer today, after Ajayi – a 17-year-old German winger, who made his debut for the U-21s earlier this year – was spotted in training. 📸 – JJ Gabriel(15), Noah Ajayi(17), Jim Thwaites(17) and Shea Lacey(18) in first team training ahead of Crystal Palace tomorrow🤩 Great experience for the academy players especially JJ Gabriel👏 pic.twitter.com/0VLx6p2R5L — MUFC Academy (@mufcacademy91) November 28, 2025 Colm Murphy, The Peoples Person’s resident academy expert, describes Ajayi as “deceptively nimble” given his height, with excellent dribbling. “A towering figure, Ajayi is one of the tallest in the group and could be mistaken for a centre-back from his stature but it is as a left winger that he normally plies his trade. Despite his size, Ajayi is deceptively nimble and impressed during last season’s Hong Kong trip with some tricky dribbling that earned United a penalty after he had already scored with his head earlier in the match. The 16 year old achieved a rare feat last season, making his u21s debut before appearing for the u18s when he made a six minute cameo against Reading u21s.” Given the recent injuries to Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha – both ruled out for this weekend’s fixture – it makes sense Amorim has turned to a tall, versatile forward from the academy to fill the gap. JJ Gabriel – United’s standout prospect, despite only being 15 years of age – was also seen with Ajayi, along with Godwill Kukonki, Jim Thwaites, and Lacey. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Darragh Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.