JJ Gabriel, 15, could make Man Utd debut in Rosenberg friendly after senior call-up

One of the most talked-about young players in England’s academy system, director of football Jason Wilcox was personally involved in convincing Gabriel to stay at United last summer.

It is part of a concerted effort to bring promising young talent to the Old Trafford club, from which Thompson arrived. Tottenham part of

Gabriel was first noticed outside the United Circle in April 2025.

Striker Victor Musa scored six times to beat United Leeds 13-1 in Premier Under 18 league head-to-heads.

But neither the score nor Musa’s double hat-trick was the main talking point on the day – it was Gabriel’s 25-minute cameo on debut, then aged just 14 and 14.

Speed, balance and control were already evident. He scored twice to show that he has goals.

He built on that early promise last season. For most of the campaign he seemed destined to finish as the league’s top scorer, only for Manchester CityIts Teddy Lamb will pip him in the last couple games.

Gabriel was a stand-out performer last term, scoring 29 times in 32 appearances for the Red Devils, helping them reach the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Under-18 Cup finals.

Ruben Amorim was initially called up for first team training and has been a regular since with Carrick United keeping a close eye on the academy teams.

Gabriel was not involved in last week’s defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki as he returned to training less than a week ago, but United are handling a precocious talent with caution.

The teenager was invited to the managers’ box on several occasions last season and met Sir Alex Ferguson after the draw against West Ham at Old Trafford in December.

Such access is not common, which underlines how much promise United see in the youngster.

In context, Gabriel is about to enter his GCSE year. He played – and scored – in last season’s FA Youth Cup at a younger age than the legend Manchester United From the Busby Babes to Duncan Edwards and personalities like Eddie Coleman and Ryan Giggs.

Of course, there are plenty of talented young players – ArsenalMax Daumann is a current example of this. Not everyone fulfills their potential.

What gives additional hope around Gabriel is his size.

Despite his slight frame he made such a significant impact. United’s coaching staff moved him inside from his favored position on the left last season to keep him away from the full backs who were bigger and stronger and could try and push him out of the way.

One belief was that Gabrielle would grow this summer and judging by her social media feeds, she’s working on it.

Having decided to target the youth market to give them the best chance of future success, holding on to someone already in their position would be counterproductive, so Gabriel’s call-up to Norway makes perfect sense.

If Gabriel turns up for Norway, he will be one of the youngest players to play in a senior game. The youngest player to appear in a competitive match for United was David Gaskell, a goalkeeper who made his debut aged 16 years and 19 days. Gabriel won’t be 16 until October 6.

Not everyone is guaranteed to play in Carrick’s squad.

United took 25 men to Helsinki for the loss to Wrexham. Although Carrick chose a completely different team in each half, goalkeeper Dermot Mee, midfielder Jim Thwaites and striker Chido Obi were not used.

But if he gets the chance, it will be instructive for United’s coaches to see how he copes with senior opposition. It will determine Gabriel’s future Games program as United’s World Cup players begin to return.