Jamie Carragher picks side in Man Utd vs JJ Gabriel ‘next superstar’ war
Jamie Carragher has speculated that JJ Gabriel wants to leave Manchester United because he does not think that he is progressing enough.
The former Liverpool defender thinks that Gabriel was probably given lofty assurances by Man Utd, which are not coming to fruition.
Carragher has also noted that the story that Gabriel wants to leave Man Utd with immediate effect broke on Tuesday, a day before Man Utd’s Carabao Cup tie against Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford.
The Sky Sports pundit thinks that Man Utd manager Michael Carrick probably told the 15-year-old attacker that he was not going to feature in the game, although media reports have claimed that Gabriel was expected to be named in the squad for the tie.
Jamie Carragher on Man Utd vs JJ Gabriel
Carragher said on The Overlap, which was recorded on Wednesday and released on Thursday: “I had never heard of the kid, if I am being totally honest.
“I was seeing it break yesterday.
“Then obviously people were talking about this kid’s going to be the next superstar.
“It broke yesterday because surely Michael Carrick’s given his squad or his team for the Carabao Cup game, and that’s always a chance to blood now.”
The former Liverpool star said later in the show as the discussion continued: “Because I have gone through the academy system with James and see other players who people talked about, and it is different from our day where you are controlled by the club, you have got to accept it is different now where it’s almost the player and the representation at that age is so terrified of losing them.
“The club have always got to keep them happy.
“So, I could imagine discussions with him thinking, you are going to make your debut before you are 18.
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“He probably wants to be the youngest player to ever play for Man Utd.
“All these things they are probably pushing the club.
“And I just think he’s probably not being picked in that squad, and he thinks I am going to make my debut there – the youngest player to play for Utd.
“There’s only two things from my experience of speaking to other dads at academies – is a money issue or are they getting progressed enough?
“And when you have got a star in the youth teams, at some stages, the big…
“When I was a kid, I always played a year up, and that was seen as a big thing.
“So, I was playing for Liverpool a year up.
“Now these kids want to be like four years up.
“No, no, I am 16, I am going to be playing with the 21s.
“And then the 21s is not enough – the odd little session with the first team.
“It’s like they want progression that fast that the coaches are a bit, like, what.
“They are dictating to the club and the coaches what team they should be in now, with their agents and their parents.”
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