Wayne Rooney Admits JJ Gabriel Bombshell ‘Was Coming’—Why His Opinion Matters

The generational academy prospect appears likely to leave Manchester United.

JJ Gabriel was destined to break records. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images (Gabriel), Jean Catuffe/Getty Images (Rooney)

Manchester United “have done everything” to keep 15-year-old prodigy JJ Gabriel at the club in the eyes of Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney, who is closer to the story than most because his own teenage son, Kai, has played in the same academy teams.

It was widely reported earlier this month that Gabriel and his family requested his registration with United be canceled. That seemed to stem from a frustration about a lack of first-team opportunities for the young attacker this season.

He was limited to eight minutes during preseason and was left off of the Champions League roster, for which he required ‘List A’ status on account of his age. The same day United opened their league phase campaign with a 4–0 win over Sabah at Old Trafford, Gabriel scored a hat-trick against the same club’s U-19s in the UEFA Youth League.

But he hasn’t trained since and news of his desire to leave emerged the day before the club faced Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round last week. Ironically, it was suggested there had been an intention to include Gabriel in that match squad with a view to him debuting.

Reports this week claimed United’s competitive “decline” is a factor.

United can contest the request for Gabriel’s registration to be canceled, but by the end of the season he would be able to leave anyway. He could even leave sooner to head abroad, with his 16th birthday next month opening up Spain or another European Union (EU) state. Real Madrid and Barcelona are heavily linked, while Bayern Munich are also credited with interest.

Gabriel would have to wait until the summer to join Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea, unless United concede before then, which feels unlikely.

Rooney spoke on the latest episode of Stick to United, explaining he has seen “JJ grow up” because of his proximity in age to Kai—the young Rooney is a year older and currently a first-year scholar, which is part of the two-year program during which players can turn pro.

But, Rooney said, Aanyone close to it knew that was coming.”

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Man Utd Couldn’t Have Done More to Keep JJ Gabriel

Gabriel scored a UEFA Youth League hat-trick the week before. | Zohaib Alam/Manchester United/Getty Images

The alleged role of Gabriel’s father, former pro player Joe O’Cearuill, has been at the center of much of the reporting on this saga. He is an outspoken social media user who previously likened his son, reportedly renamed JJ Gabriel to become more ‘marketable,’ to Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard has broken the mold in recent years because of his meteoric rise, allowing players as young as 15—and their families—to believe they can be playing senior soccer at a similar age.

“In fairness to Manchester United they have done everything, absolutely everything, to keep him at the club,” Rooney, Old Trafford’s former captain and all-time record goalscorer, added.

His authority to talk about the situation is two-fold. Beyond his own son’s academy journey, Rooney was himself a teen prodigy almost 25 years ago, experiencing “special” treatment.

“The club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special player. I know, I recognize that, because I was that player at Everton. I was getting that treatment at Everton,” he reflected. “As a club, you need to do [it] to try to keep the better players. It’s disappointing because [Gabriel] is such a top player and a lovely kid.”

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What Makes JJ Gabriel So Special?

Players so young are very rarely this good. | Manchester United/Getty Images

All this fuss is for someone who cannot legally drive a car in the U.K. for another year. But Gabriel is viewed as a generational talent who can become world class in the future.

“He is a top player. His ability, his balance, he has shown he can go up the ages and score goals,” Rooney said, referencing the fact that Gabriel was playing U-18 soccer aged 14, and started this season by scoring twice at U-21 level with and against players up to six years older.

“The next step is first-team football where it’s different, and you never know until you’re in there. But he’s such a special talent who understands the game really well. At some point this season he would [have] made his debut for the first-team, I’d imagine. That’s where it’s disappointing.”

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