Manchester United have started carrying out checks to sign a Champions League midfielder as a replacement for JJ Gabriel, with the youngster’s future still in doubt.
Gabriel is said to have asked to leave Man United, having not been a part of Michael Carrick‘s first-team plans this season, but journalist Henry Winter has suggested the youngster’s development shouldn’t be rushed, and the club have been doing the right thing.
Winter said: “JJ Gabriel is undoubtedly a very special talent but he is *checks notes* 15. Only 15. He can’t change in the seniors’ dressing-room yet. He’s not physically ready for first-team football yet. Pathways are not speed tracks. It’s about easing Gabriel in gradually, working on his physical and tactical development, growing. Because the skill is undoubtedly there.”
The teenager has the hallmarks of a future star, and he has been tearing it up at youth level, picking up 29 goals and four assists in 32 appearances for Man United’s U18 side, having primarily featured in an advanced midfield role.
As such, it is no surprise some of Europe’s top clubs are queuing up to secure the 15-year-old’s signature, with Fabrizio Romano revealing Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are among his potential suitors.
It appears as though the starlet’s time at Old Trafford could be coming to an end before it truly began, and with Gabriel potentially heading for the exit door, United have been working on the signing of a replacement.
Man Utd conduct checks to sign Mezian Mesloub
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Man United have been carrying out work to sign Lens youngster Mezian Mesloub, although they are refusing to let Gabriel leave without a fight, and sporting director Jason Wilcox is still trying to convince him to stay.
However, Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in signing Mesloub, and United’s Premier League rivals could make a move in 2027, so there may be competition in the race for his signature.
As the starlet is still just 16-years-old, he would not be able to move to England until 2028 at the earliest, barring an ‘applicable exception’, so he is considered a long-term target for United, despite already forcing his way into first-team contention at Lens.
Indeed, the teenager has already made his Champions League debut, with scout Jacek Kulig praising his performance against Slavia Prague earlier this month.
Akin to Gabriel, Mesloub is an attacking midfielder, and he has already made five senior appearances for Lens, chipping in with one goal and one assist in the process.
As such, the Portugal-born youngster could be a natural replacement for Gabriel, but his age is a major barrier, given that it makes a move to England complicated.