Michael Carrick breaks silence on JJ Gabriel’s desire to leave Man Utd as Ineos face pressure over situation

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has now been asked about his feelings on JJ Gabriel’s sudden decision to want to leave Old Trafford.

JJ Gabriel received his first Manchester United first-team appearance under Red Devils boss Michael Carrick during the pre-season tour in the summer.

The 15-year-old United youth academy product is considered one of the top prospects at the Premier League club after his arrival at the Red Devils in 2021.

However, Gabriel sent shockwaves throughout the Man Utd fan base on Tuesday after it emerged that the teenager wanted to leave the Premier League club.

READ MORE: Harry Maguire claims ‘unbelievable’ Paul Pogba has now been overtaken by one of his Man Utd teammates

Michael Carrick shares what he can around Man Utd’s ongoing situation involving JJ Gabriel

JJ Gabriel was expected to train with the first-team squad near the end of last week before tensions between his family and Manchester United reportedly soured. The ongoing situation between Gabriel and United even dealt a key blow to his potential competitive debut against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

According to BBC Sport, Man Utd ‘sources’ felt that the Red Devils striker had a ‘strong chance’ of making the squad against Brighton, even if he did not feature against the Seagulls in the third-round tie.

United manager Michael Carrick has dropped his two cents on the matter surrounding Red Devils talent Gabriel amid the uncertainty around his future.

“We have to be a little bit careful on that one,” he told Sky Sports.

“He’s a 15-year-old boy. It’s more about the welfare, the care and the attention of JJ as a child, really.

“He’s certainly a young man. The situation is what it is, but we have to be careful about the exposure on that one.”

READ MORE: Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough experience is about to become invaluable during Man Utd pressure moment

Gabriel has been building a reputation for himself in the United youth set-up and previously trained with the Red Devils first-team squad under Ruben Amorim. Dubbed ‘Kid Messi,’ Carrick brought Gabriel off the bench in pre-season during United’s 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm last month.

Gabriel will be 16 years old in October and the promising Red Devils player will be out of contract with the Premier League club at the end of the season — unless United can find a resolution to the issue.

The United talent made his UEFA Youth League debut last week and scored a stunning hat-trick in his side’s 5-0 win over Sabah at the Leigh Sports Village.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal youth player has been attracting interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.