JJ Gabriel forced to wait after Man Utd failure as wonderkid's ban scuppers Michael Carrick

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JJ Gabriel, won't be making his debut for the Manchester United first team this season due to Premier League regulations. However, the narrative could have been different had the squad not been prematurely ousted from the FA Cup .

Players must have turned 15 before August 31 to be eligible for first team action in the Premier League this season. This means wonderkid Gabriel, born in October 2010, missed the cut-off by just a few weeks.

There are no such restrictions for the FA Cup , though United's early exit scuppered his chances of minutes in that competition. Interim manager Darren Fletcher presiding over a third round loss to Brighton but the Under-18s boss didn't deem Gabriel ready for action in that game.

Had they stayed in the competition for the arrival interim boss Michael Carrick , an opportunity might have arisen for Gabriel. According to GiveMeSport , Carrick would have contemplated deploying the teenager in later rounds to offer him an initial experience of senior play.

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Gabriel has already been given a taste of first team training, both under Carrick and under United's last full-time boss Ruben Amorim. Both managers have been open to granting playing time to academy stars in the league, with Amorim giving several substitute appearances to Jack Fletcher and Carrick handing the midfielder's twin brother Tyler his debut.

Carrick has also observed Gabriel and his Under-18s teammates in the FA Youth Cup. The 2010-born prodigy became United's youngest ever scorer in the tournament when he bagged the winning goal against Peterborough in the third round, and also found the net in a victory at Oxford in the last 16 with Carrick watching.

He had already hit double digits for goals in the Under-18 Premier League prior to his effort at Oxford. He scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 triumph away at Liverpool before the turn of the year, the second time he left with the match ball after a league game.

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United's senior squad have remained undefeated since that cup fixture against Brighton in January, when their ex-player Danny Welbeck netted for Brighton in a 2-1 Seagulls victory. Carrick has taken charge of six league games since, winning five and drawing one.

Another of United's academy talents was given game time against Brighton in the cup, with Shea Lacey introduced for the final half-hour. However, the 18-year-old's day concluded prematurely when he received a second yellow card.

"He's disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it," interim manager Fletcher commented post-match. "There is no doubt about his talent and it was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea. He's one of our most exciting young prospects and I'm sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future."

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