Rooney says it is disappointing to lose 15 year old JJ Gabriel, with Real Madrid and Barcelona both circling

[Foundry20]

Wayne Rooney has spoken publicly about Manchester United's ongoing situation with 15 year old academy prospect JJ Gabriel, who turns 16 next month and has already submitted a request to leave the club, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona reportedly monitoring his situation closely. Rooney acknowledged the club has already treated Gabriel differently to other young players given his obvious talent, saying the club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special player.

The former United captain did not hide his concern about potentially losing someone he clearly rates highly, adding it is disappointing because he is such a top player and a lovely kid. Rooney went further in assessing exactly how close Gabriel is to senior football, suggesting at some point this season he would have made his debut for the first team, indicating the club viewed him as genuinely ready for that step up rather than still years away from contention.

Gabriel's recent form has only added weight to that assessment, with the young attacker scoring a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah. Rooney believes Gabriel already has the maturity, balance and goalscoring instinct required for the elite level, though he acknowledged that first team football itself remains a genuinely unknown challenge until a player actually experiences it. Manchester United are reportedly still hopeful of reversing Gabriel's decision to leave, with negotiations said to be ongoing.

Wayne Rooney Disappointing Top Player Jj Gabriel Leaves Man Unitedwww.espn.co.uk

[Electric Holly]

A 15 year old already attracting concrete interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona simultaneously tells you everything about how highly rated this kid genuinely is across the entire footballing world, not just at United itself.

[UnratedRyan68]

Scoring a hat-trick on his actual Youth League debut is a serious statement, that is not just reputation and hype, that is genuine end product showing up immediately at a proper level.

[Starfield Wolfhound]

Rooney saying he would likely have debuted for the first team already this season is the detail that actually worries me most as a United fan, losing someone that close to breaking through feels like a genuine failure of retention.

[FairDos72]

Submitting a request to leave at 15 years old is an incredibly young age to already be making that kind of decision, whatever advice or pressure is actually shaping that choice behind the scenes must be significant.

[MegaHavertz19]

United still being hopeful of reversing this decision suggests it is not a completely done deal yet, would be interesting to know what they can actually offer a 15 year old to change his mind at this stage.

[BackpropVulture]

Real Madrid and Barcelona both circling the same academy prospect this early suggests scouting networks at that level are now operating even further down the age groups than most fans probably realise