Man Utd barred from loaning JJ Gabriel out as wonderkid continues to impress

View 3 Images

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel continues to make headlines for the club's academy. But despite some fans calling for him to gain experience out on loan, the 15-year-old will be staying put.

The London-born attacker had spells with some high-profile academies in the capital, including Chelsea and Arsenal , before he headed to Carrington in 2022. Since this move, Gabriel has set the world alight .

At just 14 years old, he debuted for United's Under-18s and last year he penned a long-term scholarship agreement. He has bagged goals for fun in the club's youth ranks and scored his 15th and 16th of this season for the Under-18s at the weekend against Wolves .

With Gabriel showing such promise, some have suggested that he gain senior experience on loan at another club. He can't play for United's senior team this season . However, it is also not possible for Gabriel to leave Carrington on a temporary move.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

For starters, the 15-year-old is currently on a scholarship agreement, not a professional contract. This means he is not professionally registered and so cannot be sent out on a standard loan.

Young players cannot sign professional deals until they turn 17. Though Gabriel could also sign a pre-professional agreement, which automatically turns into a professional contract when he turns 17.

View 3 Images

Gabriel reaches that age in October 2027, so until then we will not see him on loan. There is another possibility for young players in the UK: the FA allows academy players to go on Work Experience loans.

This constitutes a youngster who has reached school leaving age and is registered with a Premier League or EFL side joining a lower league club temporarily. They would still be training with their parent team.

But since these can only be undertaken at 16, this is also not an option for Gabriel. It could also be argued that United would rather keep Gabriel at Carrington and develop him as he continues to train with their first team .

Essentially, Gabriel is too young to be sent on loan and isn't even a professional yet. Not to mention, even if he were older and able to be shipped out, most transfer windows around Europe are currently shut.

MAKE THE MIRROR YOUR FIRST CHOICE! Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

View 3 Images

So Gabriel almost certainly won't be seen with any club other than United until late 2027 at the earliest. The Red Devils, however, will likely be hoping he enjoys a long career with them if he can realise his boundless potential and may not see the need to loan him out if he can break into the first team picture at Old Trafford. Current first-team manager Michael Carrick has been in attendance to watch Gabriel this season and was present when the Under-18s faced Oxford United in the FA Youth Cup last week.

The 15-year-old was on the score sheet in that 4-1 win and Carrick told MUTV after watching: "Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it. It's good to get our eyes on some of the younger players and how they're doing.

Content cannot be displayed without consent