MANCHESTER UNITED held emergency talks with JJ Gabriel to persuade him not to leave Old Trafford earlier this summer, according to reports.
The 15-year-old wonderkid is one of the brightest talents to come out of the United academy in recent years after catching the eye with some incredible displays.
But the Athletic claim Gabriel came close to quitting United after a number of top European sides began eyeing him up.
And United were forced to act quickly as chiefs Matt Hargreaves and Matt Wilcox set up talks and managed to change his mind.
The duo were crucial as Hargreaves “made an important intervention” during the negotiations, while Wilcox “presented pathways” to the player.
United’s ambition and desire to keep Gabriel was key to him performing a U-turn, the report says.
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The player and his dad Joe O’Cearuill were then invited to attend United’s opening day clash against Arsenal in the directors’ box.
Gabriel has since been invited for a number of training sessions with the first team by manager Ruben Amorim.
And after a change in the rules, the youngster has been allowed to take part in the FA Youth Cup.
He became the youngest scorer in the competition’s history after he netted the only goal of a third-round tie against Peterborough this week.
United winger Nathaniel Junior Brown laid the ball off to the edge of the area, Gabriel opened up his body and steered the ball into the corner of the net with a first-time side-footer.
That is now 11 goals in 12 games for Gabriel, scorer of a recent hat-trick against Liverpool’s Under 18s, this term.
Fans had been blown away by the starlet’s talent in that game, which United won 7-0, and called him “Neymar in the making”.
He left fans stunned with two ridiculous solo efforts before grabbing a third in stoppage time.
Gabriel only turned 15 in October and has Barcelona monitoring his situation with interest.
The La Liga giants are confident of luring the player to their famed La Masia academy that has developed the talents of some top stars.
Amorim was recently asked about Gabriel after including the player in a training session before their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last month.
The head coach said: “Like everyone, I know he is a really talented guy and everyone paid attention on social media.
“You could see the U21s had a game and we had less players and tried to pick players for training that have talent.
“Not just for me to see for tomorrow but for them to feel what it means to be in the first team, the difficulties playing against our defenders, the difficulty of our training, the pace.
“If we can use every training we have to show the kids what they need to do to be here, it is important, not just for JJ but for everyone.”
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