Max Dowman steps up to prove JJ Gabriel did not need to rush his Manchester United breakthrough

JJ Gabriel appears destined to quit Manchester United. It didn’t need to be this way.

It’s so frustrating. JJ Gabriel has signalled his intentions to leave Manchester United, declining to train with the team ahead of making his first team debut. It feels quite obvious that the player has been ‘tapped up’ and wants to move elsewhere.

But why? Haven’t Manchester United already offered him an unprecedented opportunity? Making his debut at 15 would have broken the club’s youngest ever player record, set in the 1950s.

The problem is Gabriel – or his advisors – want more. They believe he should not have been made to wait until now for a first team debut, and that he warranted more chances in pre-season than one late substitute appearance.

Perhaps they are right. But there really was no need to rush. As Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is currently proving.

Max Dowman proves patience is key

Max Dowman is a year older than JJ Gabriel, and was able to make his first team debut for the Gunners last season. He made his league debut in August 2025, but had to wait to start a game until October.

Gabriel was maybe slightly behind, without a league debut yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Despite making his league debut for Arsenal in 2025/26, he totalled only 153 minutes of Premier League action for the Gunners all season, across six total appearance. One start and five as a substitute. He made an impact too, scoring for the club amid their title charge.

Amid it all, Mikel Arteta has refused to rush him. To reinforce those numbers again, 153 league minutes last season. And this season Dowman is yet to play a single league minute.

When called to make his Carabao Cup bow this week, Dowman stepped up and scored after just seven minutes. More opportunities will come his way. He is being handled well by Arsenal too, with the Gunners recognising that a player at his age should not be rushed.

Dowman appears more physically ready than Gabriel too. He is still being made to wait.

Gabriel and his advisors are entitled to handle his own career differently if they feel there is a better pathway elsewhere. But it is clear they are lacking patience and trying to rush him.

Dowman is showing at Arsenal that his sparing use can be beneficial. We have seen the impact of players who are pushed into regular roles too young. Michael Owen’s career was effectively over by the time he was in his 30s.

You would hope that a little sense would prevail with Gabriel and United, if it’s not too late for that. Dowman at Arsenal has demonstrated that United’s plan to use him sparingly is par for the course.