Man. United Tries to Halt 15-Year-Old Prodigy's Move to Barcelona or Real Madrid

Manchester United has rejected JJ Gabriel's request to cancel his club registration, but the 15-year-old's departure from Old Trafford appears imminent after he initiated talks with Barcelona.

The player's representatives formally submitted a request this week for the club to cancel his registration, which has now been denied. Manchester United is still attempting to persuade the youngster to stay, but the task is proving increasingly difficult, according to the Manchester Evening News, a publication closely following the city's two major clubs.

The same source reports that JJ Gabriel and his entourage are currently in Spain, where, in addition to Barcelona, they may also meet with Real Madrid to discuss a potential transfer.

Although Manchester United has the player under contract until the end of the current season, there is a pathway for him to transfer abroad once he turns 16 on October 6th. To do so, he would need an EU passport to sign for one of the Spanish giants. Obtaining this passport is feasible through his ancestry, either via his father's Irish heritage or his mother's Cypriot background—JJ Gabriel was born in England and has already represented the national team at youth levels. 

The request to leave caught the club by surprise, especially since JJ Gabriel hasn't trained at Carrington since scoring a hat-trick against Sabah in the Youth League last week. He was even expected to train with the first team and be called up for Wednesday's match against Brighton, where he could have become the club's youngest-ever player.

His representatives' dissatisfaction stems from the belief that promises of integration into the first team have not been fulfilled. The player only featured for eight minutes in pre-season and was omitted from the Champions League squad list.

When questioned about the situation ahead of the Fulham match, Michael Carrick chose to focus on protecting the 15-year-old: "I think I'd repeat what I said the other day. I think he's a young lad, JJ, and it's important that we don't put anything out there. The exposure, the scrutiny, and everything else... we have to be careful, be sensible, and think about him above all else. The situation will resolve itself, whatever way it goes. Ensuring he's okay is the most important thing."