Man Utd in astonishment over JJ Gabriel after Michael Carrick makes feelings clear

Manchester United are reportedly 'in total shock' at JJ Gabriel's quality the youngster continues his extraordinary rise towards Michael Carrick's first-team squad. The 15-year-old, who frequently trains alongside United's senior players, was handed a chance to showcase his abilities during pre-season.

While the intention is to manage his progression carefully, the club recognise they possess a genuine talent. United are conscious they have 'a real gem on their hands.'

In the build-up to United's Champions League victory over Sabah FK, their Under-19s were competing at the Leigh Training Centre for the UEFA Youth League encounter.

Gabriel maintained his outstanding start to the campaign, netting a hat-trick as the young Red Devils cruised to a 5-0 triumph, and became the youngest United player in history to achieve the feat in the competition.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano said: "It's going to be important to see how Manchester United manage JJ in terms of involving him in the first team in official games.

"That's going to be an important topic because everyone at Manchester United, when they speak about JJ Gabriel, is in total shock at how good this boy is. So obviously, his pathway is going to be absolutely important in order to understand more about JJ."

United have already made the call to elevate Gabriel to the U21s setup this season, and he remains on the periphery of the first-team squad. United supporters are keenly anticipating their first look at the youngster in a competitive fixture for the senior side.

Carrick has been a regular presence at United's youth matches, closely monitoring Gabriel's progression. Speaking last month after observing Gabriel, the Red Devils head coach said: "I really enjoyed the game. You could see the quality.

"JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development."

The United boss wasn't the only one singing the youngster's praises — U21s manager Adam Lawrence was full of admiration for Gabriel following the UEFA Youth League victory. He told the Manchester Evening News : "Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him.

"So when you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity. And I think essentially what you try and do is to set the team up to allow the talent to function and to play free at the right moments.

"Of course, it can't always be free and off the cuff in terms of some of the off-the-ball responsibilities that he's working on and some of the pressing things that he's thinking about.

"But again, in terms of how he plays properly and how he connects with other teammates at the top end of the pitch, he's just in a real good space. If you look at that game today, I think he's playing properly.

"I think he's trying to do the right things. It's enjoyable working with him and challenging as a coach because the best players challenge you.