Wayne Rooney has admitted it would be “disappointing” for Manchester United to lose one of the brightest young talents emerging from their academy.
The former United and England star was speaking about 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, who has asked to leave the club despite United making significant efforts to convince him to stay.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the clubs monitoring Gabriel’s situation, according to sources cited by ESPN.
The teenager turns 16 next month and has already attracted serious attention with his performances at youth level.
Gabriel recently announced himself on the UEFA Youth League stage in emphatic fashion, scoring a hat-trick against Sabah on his debut.
For Rooney, the teenager’s development is particularly familiar.
Gabriel has been around Rooney’s son Kai in the youth setup, giving the former United striker an opportunity to watch his progress from close quarters.
“I have seen JJ grow up, he has been in [my son] Kai’s team,” Wayne Rooney told Stick To Football on Disney+. “Anyone close to it knew that was coming.
“In fairness to Manchester United they have done everything, absolutely everything, to keep him at the club.
“The club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special player. I know, I recognise that, because I was that player at Everton. I was getting that treatment at Everton.
“As a club, you need to do [it] to try to keep the better players.
“It’s disappointing because he is such a top player and a lovely kid.
“You never know whether it’s gone too far or whether there is a chance for him to stay.”
United are understood to believe the situation can still be resolved, meaning Gabriel’s future at Old Trafford has not necessarily been decided.
For Rooney, the situation carries an interesting personal connection.
The former striker was himself a teenage sensation at Everton before becoming one of the Premier League’s most famous young stars.
Rooney became the league’s youngest goalscorer when he found the net for Everton aged 16 years and 360 days in 2002.
That record has since been broken by Arsenal’s Max Dowman, who scored against Everton aged 16 years and 73 days in March.
Rooney eventually became a United and England legend, making his assessment of Gabriel particularly significant.
“He is a top player,” Rooney said of the 15-year-old. “His ability, his balance, he has shown he can go up the ages and score goals. 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, so that’s where it’s disappointing.”
Gabriel’s immediate future now remains one of the most intriguing academy stories around Manchester United.
At just 15, he has already demonstrated an ability to compete above his age group, score goals and attract attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
United will now hope their efforts can persuade him to remain in Manchester and continue his development within the club.
But with Barcelona and Real Madrid reportedly monitoring the situation, the pressure is on United to find a solution.
Rooney’s message is clear: Gabriel is not simply another academy prospect.
He sees a player with the talent, personality and football intelligence to make the difficult jump from youth football to the senior game.
The next chapter could determine whether that potential is eventually realised at Old Trafford or elsewhere.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
