Man United already have tailor-made Cunha understudy as ‘insane’ wonderkid dismantles Liverpool

Manchester United teenager JJ Gabriel has once again displayed his incredible talent, by leading the club’s U18 side to a resounding victory over Liverpool.The Merseyside club hosted the young Red Devils at the AXA Training Centre for an U18 Premier League fixture.However, this proved to be a one-sided affair, with the visitors dominating the action from start to finish. Man Utd eventually prevailed by seven unanswered goals to climb back to second place in the table.JJ Gabriel scores a hat-trick as Man Utd 18 torch Liverpool U18While Bendito Mantato, Louie Bradbury, Jim Thwaites and Samuel Lusale were all on the scoresheet, it was Gabriel who stole the headlines once more by netting a sensational hat-trick. One of our 7 goals against the scousers today. JJ Gabriel hattrick. pic.twitter.com/NyiPCgWrb9 — Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) November 29, 2025The 15-year-old is certainly the most exciting teenager at Carrington. He has already mesmerised the fans with his ‘insane’ skills that went viral.The wonderkid has also received high praise from Ruben Amorim, who has invited him to train with the senior squad on a few occasions. Hence, the management was keen to lock him down with a deal valid until 2027, as he remains too young to pen a professional long-term contract. Gabriel’s stats in U18 Premier League Appearances Goals Assists 25/26 9 7 1 24/25 3 3 0 Gabriel’s heroics against Liverpool U18 will further endear him to the MUFC supporters, with a section of the fanbase already calling for his immediate promotion to the first team.Could Gabriel join Man Utd’s first team as Cunha replacement?(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Curiously, Man Utd’s senior squad is currently lacking depth up front, especially in the absence of Benjamin Seko and Matheus Cunha. Moreover, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo will join their national teams for the African Cup of Nations next month, giving Amorim a major headache.Therefore, one might wonder if Gabriel could be the one to make the jump to the first team. The 15-year-old’s skill set is comparable to Cunha’s, as he enjoys dribbling past opponents and can finish with either foot.Nevertheless, the teenager could be deemed too young to feature for the first team.Therefore, Amorim and his staff could instead resort to Chido Obi, who has already featured for the seniors last season, or 18-year-old Shea Lacey, who currently features for Man Utd’s U21 side, but has been knocking on the first team’s door for quite some time.