{"id":230588,"date":"2026-02-27T06:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T06:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/26m-star-was-the-next-ronaldo-now-jj-gabriel-can-end-his-man-utd-career\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T06:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T06:10:13","slug":"26m-star-was-the-next-ronaldo-now-jj-gabriel-can-end-his-man-utd-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/26m-star-was-the-next-ronaldo-now-jj-gabriel-can-end-his-man-utd-career\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a326m star was the “next Ronaldo”, now JJ Gabriel can end his Man Utd career"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Almost every Manchester United<\/a> manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has welcomed an exciting academy talent into the first-team fold, be it Adnan Januzaj under David Moyes, or Kobbie Mainoo and Alejando Garnacho under Erik ten Hag.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The only head coach who bucked the trend somewhat was Ruben Amorim<\/a>, with no youth player truly making a sustained impression across his 14 months at the helm.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Portuguese tactician did hand a debut to Shea Lacey earlier this season at Villa Park, although the 18-year-old hasn’t been seen again after his FA Cup dismissal against Brighton and Hove Albion, while Chido Obi hasn’t featured at all in 2025\/26, after making eight senior outings last term.<\/p>\n

There have been brief cameos for the likes of Tyler Fletcher and Jack Fletcher of late, although the club’s next breakout, golden boy looks set to come further down the line.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Jack\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Caution is always the word when discussing teenage talent, but you simply can’t ignore the buzz surrounding 15-year-old sensation, JJ Gabriel.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Why JJ Gabriel is causing such a stir at Man Utd<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Back in 2022, United’s successful FA Youth Cup run saw a young Garnacho announce himself as the next academy superstar, the Spain-born, Argentina international scoring seven goals in the competition, including a brace in the final.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Garnacho\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Four years on, that stage now belongs to emerging wonderkid, Gabriel, with the Englishman’s feats even more impressive considering he is still only 15.<\/p>\n

A reported target for Barcelona over the summer, prior to committing his future to the Old Trafford side, the fleet-footed forward has scored 16 goals already at U18 Premier League level this season, alongside a further two goals in the Youth Cup.<\/p>\n

Despite being three years younger than some of his teammates and opponents, the versatile winger – who can feature as a number ten or as a centre-forward – is ripping it up at that age group, only recently netting a remarkable solo goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.<\/p>\n

Picking the ball up just inside the area, Gabriel ducked and weaved his way past a sea of defenders, before rifling home an exquisite finish from the angle on his left foot.<\/p>\n

That was followed by a brilliant brace as the U18s saw off Derby County on Wednesday afternoon, with the precocious teen denied a hat-trick after another solo run saw him fire agonisingly over the crossbar.<\/p>\n

There is a clamour to see him involved at first-team level, although with Premier League rules ensuring he can’t feature until next season, he is being allowed the time and patience to blossom in the youth ranks.<\/p>\n

\n\"marcus-rashford-united\"\n <\/picture>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tBad news for JJ Gabriel: Man Utd in talks to sign Rashford 2.0 for \u00a395m
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

This Man Utd target could enhance the quality of their attack<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A senior bow must surely be in the works, however, with Gabriel’s arrival on the scene likely to have repercussions for the current first-team contingent.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \u00a330m Man Utd star could be finished after JJ Gabriel emergence<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

There is such excitement building over Gabriel’s talent, not least with the England youth star looking like the potential solution on the left flank for United, with the first-team currently devoid of a genuine option on that side.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Most Valuable Man Utd Graduates<\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Player<\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Value<\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Alvaro Carreras<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a352m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Mason Greenwood<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a344m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Anthony Elanga<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a344m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Scott McTominay<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a340m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Alejandro Garnacho<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a340m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Marcus Rashford<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a335m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Kobbie Mainoo<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\u00a335m<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

via Transfermarkt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

The aforementioned Garnacho had looked set to make that position his own, although his promising United career was abruptly cut short following his falling out with Amorim, and subsequent sale to Chelsea.<\/p>\n

A permanent departure also appears an inevitability for Marcus Rashford<\/a>, with the rise of JJ Gabriel ensuring the 28-year-old’s Old Trafford journey should well have come to a conclusion.<\/p>\n

Currently out on loan at Barcelona, the expectation is that Rashford will sign for the Catalan side at the end of the season, with the LaLiga giants holding an option to buy for a fee of around \u00a326m.<\/p>\n

That said, there have been whispers that should Michael Carrick be handed the reins on a permanent basis, he might look to bring Rashford back into the fold, providing an internal solution off the left.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Man-Utd-Marcus-Rashford-record-timeless\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Three Lions star has blossomed for United in the past, not least when netting 30 goals in 2022\/23, having at one stage looked like being the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo, in the view of Rene Meulensteen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying Marcus can be the next Ronaldo – because I think Cristiano is a one-off talent. But I do think that [he] has got a similar mindset to be the best player he can \u2013 and I think he should use Cristiano as his role model.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Those days are long gone, however, with there seemingly too much water under the bridge, not least with Rashford having not actually featured for the club since December 2024.<\/p>\n

In his pomp, the polarising forward’s pace, power and ability to breeze past opponents certainly was Ronaldo-esque, yet the Red Devils need to now look to the future instead, putting faith in Gabriel as their next exciting poster boy.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"FC\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The 15-year-old is himself viewed as the ‘heir’ to Ronaldo’s throne<\/a>, with supporters no doubt chomping at the bit to see him unleashed at senior level next season.<\/p>\n

\n\"man-utd-roma-champions-league-rooney-carrick\"\n <\/picture>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe next Michael Carrick now finally looks finished at Man Utd
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

This Man Utd star has struggled for consistency during his time at the club<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost every Manchester United manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has welcomed an exciting academy talent into the first-team fold, be it Adnan Januzaj under David Moyes, or Kobbie Mainoo and Alejando Garnacho under Erik ten Hag. The only head coach who bucked the trend somewhat was Ruben Amorim, with no youth player truly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-230588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}