Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has urged his former club to do everything in their power to keep hold of teenage attacking sensation JJ Gabriel.
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has urged the club to retain academy prospect JJ Gabriel, hailing him as a “generational talent” who must remain at Old Trafford to fulfil his potential.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Giggs stressed that Gabriel needs regular first-team minutes but insisted Manchester United can provide the right environment without sending him out on loan.
“You need to play, you need to play games, and it’s difficult because if you’re in squads for the first team, you’re not going to sort of turn that down, but also you need minutes on the pitch,” Giggs said.
“But he’s at the best club because of the history of young players coming through and how they’re looked after. And he’s got good people around him, obviously, who’ve played at the club, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans, all these players have been at the club. You know, a couple of them have come through, so he’s at the right club.”
Asked whether Gabriel should leave on loan to accelerate his development, Giggs said:
“Well, I think he is sort of a generational talent; he’s got to stay. There’s no point in going out on loan because he’s at the best place and he’d be dipping in and out of the first team, so that experience is invaluable.
Giggs believes Gabriel must experience the demands of playing for Manchester United from an early age, including the pressure surrounding the club away from the pitch.
“Not only the games and the training, but actually travelling with the team, seeing the expectation of Man United; the focus is so huge on Manchester United; you need to get used to that. I think you go on loan when you’re 19, 20, not, you know, the next few years; you expect him to, if he’s going the same way, to be in the first team soon as a regular, not just dipping in and out.
Gabriel’s rapid rise at Old Trafford
JJ Gabriel has progressed rapidly through Manchester United’s academy. The London-born forward earned promotion to the Under-21 setup on the back of an exceptional campaign last time out with the Under-18s, where he bagged 26 goals in 29 outings.
He has begun the Premier League 2 campaign impressively, registering two goals and two assists in his opening two matches. Scouts have compared the teenager to Cristiano Ronaldo because of his attacking ability and potential.
Gabriel, recently linked with Real Madrid, also made his senior debut during pre-season, featuring in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid. He is expected to receive further opportunities with the first team during the campaign.
The youngster turns 16 next month and could potentially become Manchester United’s youngest-ever player if he makes his competitive debut soon. David Gaskell currently holds that record, having played for the club at 16 years and 19 days.
“Sometimes you have to be patient, sometimes it gets to a point where you just can’t not pick him and not have him train in the first team. It gets to a stage where sometimes that might be in a month, might be six months, might be a year; it’s that in-between time where he thinks he should be in the first team,” Giggs added.
The Manchester United legend indicated Gabriel is unlikely to leave if development continues at its current pace. He is on the periphery of the first team, and if he manages to have an impressive debut, things could move even quicker for the 15-year-old wonderkid.