Wayne Rooney has admitted it would be “disappointing” for Manchester United to lose highly-rated youngster JJ Gabriel, describing the 15-year-old as a “special talent”.
Gabriel has asked to leave United despite being regarded as one of the club’s most promising academy players, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among the clubs monitoring his situation.
The teenager turns 16 next month and recently made an impressive UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah, scoring a hat-trick.
Rooney, who has watched Gabriel develop through his son Kai’s age group, said United have made significant efforts to convince the youngster to remain at Old Trafford.
“I have seen JJ grow up, he has been in [my son] Kai’s team,” Wayne Rooney told Stick To Football on Disney+. “Anyone close to it knew that was coming.
“In fairness to Manchester United they have done everything, absolutely everything, to keep him at the club.
“The club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special player. I know, I recognise that, because I was that player at Everton. I was getting that treatment at Everton.
“As a club, you need to do [it] to try to keep the better players.
“It’s disappointing because he is such a top player and a lovely kid.
“You never know whether it’s gone too far or whether there is a chance for him to stay.”
Rooney compares Gabriel to his own Everton breakthrough
Rooney knows better than most what it is like to be identified as an exceptional young player at an early age.
The former England and Manchester United striker became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer when he scored for Everton against Arsenal in 2002 at the age of 16 years and 360 days.
That record has since been broken by Arsenal youngster Max Dowman, who scored against Everton in March aged 16 years and 73 days.
Rooney believes Gabriel has shown many of the qualities required to progress through the age groups and eventually make the step into senior football.
“He is a top player,” Rooney said of the 15-year-old. “His ability, his balance, he has shown he can go up the ages and score goals. The next step is first-team football where it’s different, and you never know until you’re in there.
“But he’s such a special talent who understands the game really well.”
United are understood to believe there is still a possibility of resolving the situation and keeping Gabriel at the club.
Rooney suggested the youngster could have been given an opportunity in Ruben Amorim’s first team at some point this season had he remained at Old Trafford.
The former United captain said Gabriel’s development means he is already approaching the point where senior football could become his next challenge.
“At some point this season he would [have] made his debut for the first-team, I’d imagine, so that’s where it’s disappointing.”
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