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JJ Gabriel was absent from Manchester United’s U18 squad on Saturday and there are two reasons behind this decision.
This season, JJ Gabriel has been the star of the Manchester United U18 side, which has surpassed all expectations to challenge for all the trophies available.
However, he wasn’t in the squad for United U18 lost to Sunderland on Saturday, a defeat which effectively ended the hopes of catching Manchester City in the title race.
Gabriel’s brilliance was missed as United fielded a heavily rotated side in the defeat, as younger talents were given the opportunity to step up. But the question will be why was Gabriel not even on the bench?
There are two answers.
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Photo by Anthony Devlin/Manchester United via Getty Images JJ Gabriel in Manchester United first-team training
Gabriel’s absence was surprising, considering how important the 15-year-old is to Darren Fletcher’s team.
But there was a good reason behind his absence.
During the U18s game, Gabriel took to Instagram, sharing a story that confirmed he was actually involved with the first team in training on Saturday.
JJ Gabriel Instagram credit: @jjnr10
Gabriel has previously impressed in senior training, and his consistent exposure to the intensity suggests that he is being geared up for a first-team promotion, perhaps during pre-season.
Michael Carrick is handling Gabriel perfectly, with the gradual introduction to the senior side in training similar to how Max Dowman grew toward his debut.
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Getty Images Gabriel will also have been rested by Darren Fletcher
Gabriel’s inclusion in first-team training is exciting and shows the club’s continued belief that he is ready for these experiences.
However, his exclusion from the U18 team against Sunderland likely has to do with his fitness.
Gabriel and his U18 teammates played two big games on senior pitches in the past eight days, meaning it would be irresponsible to try to play him again this Saturday.
Running the youngster into the ground benefits nobody, but by him missing this one, Gabriel should be back against Liverpool on Wednesday and against City in the FA Youth Cup final in a few weeks.
A session with the first team therefore makes sense to allow him a weekend off playing a match.
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