United’s sensational starlet continues meteoric rise with first international start

Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel earned his first start for England under-17s yesterday. Incredible form The 15-year-old has been in incredible form this season. He has regularly scored and assisted for the academy sides and has been a key member of the under-18 side who have reached the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup and the final of the Premier League Cup. The youngster has frequently trained with the first team and superstar Bryan Mbeumo recently revealed that he has been blown away by the talent of Gabriel. He has also recently been named in the 2026 NXGN top 50 young talents list. England debut Gabriel’s wonderful season at youth level has seen him called up to international duty. He played 75 minutes of England under-17s’ 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands. The youngster did not get on the scoresheet but assists are unknown as the match was not televised. The 15-year-old wore the number 10 shirt and played off the left of the attacking three. Gabriel is also eligible to represent Ireland, Cyprus, and Trinidad and Tobago, so England will be keen to give him as clear a pathway as possible to represent the Three Lions. Godwill Kukonki It was a good day yesterday for United’s youth as Ayden Heaven was asked to train with the England senior team ahead of their match with Uruguay on Friday night. Fellow United defender Kukonki started for England under-19s’ 4-1 victory over Bulgaria. He played the full 90 minutes from the centre of the defence. The defender has previously made the bench for the senior side under Ruben Amorim but has not made a first-team appearance. Kukonki signed his first professional deal at the club last July. JJ Gabriel season stats Games playedGoalsAssists Mins played 242142082 Source: transfermarkt.com 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 Latest Top Stories… Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.