Fans in dreamland as wonderkid JJ Gabriel’s first team debut decided – report

Manchester United fans cannot wait to watch Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel, better known as JJ Gabriel, in action for the first team. Still only 15, the Carrington wonderkid recently made history by becoming the first-ever Premier League Under-18 Player of the Season. His stats speak for themselves: 30 goal involvements in 28 games across two competitions, including 26 goals. No wonder that former head coach Ruben Amorim and caretaker head coach Michael Carrick are admirers. JJ Gabriel has caught everyone’s eye In fact, the Englishman would have already made his debut if not for the rules preventing him from making the much-anticipated breakthrough. With interim boss Darren Fletcher choosing not to give him minutes in the FA Cup, next season is the earliest opportunity for fans to see JJ Gabriel in action. According to The Sun, the young attacker is expected to travel with the first team for their pre-season tour. And the matches against Wrexham in Helsinki and Rosenborg in Trondheim have been identified as possible games in which the England Under-17 international could make his first senior appearance. When can we expect JJ Gabriel to make his debut “Goalkeeper David Gaskell remains United’s youngest ever debutant at 16 years and 19 days, having been whisked from the crowd to replace an injured Ray Wood in the 1956 Charity Shield. “Gabriel is likely to be included in United’s pre-season tour squad amid a shortage of senior professionals due to the World Cup. “May 18 against Wrexham in Helsinki or May 24 against Rosenborg in Trondheim can be circled in the calendar as possible debut days.” If he takes his chance and impresses, it will be interesting to see when Carrick turns to JJ Gabriel in a competitive first team match. Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25