United’s 15-yo football miracle beats the Premier League’s best 18 year olds to top award

The personal accolades keep flowing for Manchester United players. Bruno Fernandes was recently crowned the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year. Now, the Premier League have announced JJ Gabriel as their inaugural U18 Player of the Season for his brilliant displays for Darren Fletcher’s academy team. And for good reason. The 15-year-old has been on fire this term, scoring 26 times in all competitions while registering four assists. JJ Gabriel on fire That equates to roughly a goal involvement every 82 minutes. He has 23 goals in as many games in the U18 Premier League and three strikes in the FA Youth Cup, helping his side reach the final where they will face Manchester City on May 14. United’s rock at the back, Albert Mills, was also nominated for the prize alongside seven other youngsters from across the division.  JJ Gabriel had caught the eye of Ruben Amorim, back when he was head coach. Deserving winner The Portuguese regularly called him up for first team training, and that trend has continued under Michael Carrick. There were murmurs that the young attacker could make his debut in the FA Cup, back when Fletcher had assumed interim charge following Amorim’s sacking. That did not come to pass, and his first team debut will have to wait until next season. The England U17 international is ineligible to make his senior debut in the Premier League this season due to his age. JJ Gabriel made history when, at the age of 14, he came on as a 63rd-minute substitute and scored twice in a 13-1 trouncing of Leeds United last season, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature for United’s U18s team. He could become United’s youngest-ever first team debutant next season, and for that, he must impress during pre-season, should he earn the call-up. Featured 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