Two European heavyweights fighting tooth and nail to win the race for JJ Gabriel

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Manchester United were rocked by the news that Carrington prodigy JJ Gabriel had asked to leave the club with immediate effect.

Interestingly, The Daily Mail has claimed that the reason behind such an abrupt change in stance from the player’s side is his limited minutes in pre-season and the lack of first-team minutes so far.

The 15-year-old was in line to make his first-team debut against Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

That move has been scrapped, and the Red Devils are currently fighting to keep hold of the England Under-17 international.

Why JJ Gabriel and United’s relationship broke down

INEOS have still not given up hope of convincing the starlet and his family to stay, but The Mail‘s report has further claimed that both Real Madrid and Barcelona and fighting tooth and nail to land the United wonderkid.

Incidentally, the report adds that JJ Gabriel and his family view Spain as their dream destination, which means it will be hard for the 20-time English league champions to change the attacker’s mind.

United would also be due less compensation as compared to if an English club would have come forward to sign the London-born ace.

“Real Madrid are plotting a stunning move to land JJ Gabriel with the Spanish giants determined to beat bitter rivals Barcelona to the Manchester United wonderkid’s signature.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona for JJ Gabriel

“Confidential understands one of the factors behind the move is Gabriel’s limited minutes in pre-season – the 15-year-old featured in just one game, coming off the bench against Atletico Madrid – with relatives unhappy that he hasn’t already broken into Michael Carrick’s side this season and made a first-team debut.

“Respected figures in academy circles have told Confidential that Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid are now seen as a major threat to Barcelona’s hopes of signing the youngster, with a number of England’s top clubs aware that it may now come down to a tug-of-war between the two Spanish giants.

“That has opened the door for a switch to Spain – long the dream destination for the player and his family. It would be a huge blow to United, not least because the club would only be due around £300,000 in compensation if he moves abroad, compared to a significantly higher fee if he joins a club in England.”

JJ Gabriel had made one cameo off the bench in pre-season, which did come as a surprise but Michael Carrick and United have tried to ease him into the spotlight.

Wonderkid’s father is a huge pain to deal with

Reports have undermined INEOS, beating them with the stick that the Carrington graduate could have been included in the squad against Sabah FK in the Champions League, but rules dictate he was not eligible. Moreover, United cannot allow a 15-year-old to dictate terms, no matter how talented he is.

It will be interesting to see how this saga unfolds, but it is clear that the wonderkid has been badly advised by his father, who is also his agent.

The role of Barcelona in this whole mess cannot be overlooked, as the Catalans have been trying to tap him up for some time now.