Update: |Marcus Rashford fires perfect two-word message to Man United wonderkid after U18s debut News

JJ Gabriel made his debut for Manchester United U18s this weekend – scoring twice aged just 14.

Marcus Rashford is keeping tabs on the next generation at Manchester United with JJ Gabriel among them.

The 14-year-old – who became the youngest player to feature for the club’s Under-18s – had quite the debut during their 13-1 win over Leeds on Saturday. He scored twice after coming on in the 63rd minute.

Gabriel expertly brought the ball down for his second goal, slotting it into the bottom right corner. His outstanding ball control and prolific goal-scoring form for the Under-16s this season made it no surprise when he netted a brace on his debut – and he’s been on radar where it matters for quite some time.

The teenager is widely regarded as one of the brightest young players in the country. The exciting youngster was given the nickname ‘Kid Messi’ after clips of him training and completing specialist skills went viral on social media when he was younger – while he’s also been looked at by other top European clubs.

Taking to Instagram after the game, the teenager wrote: “U18s debut at U14. 2 goals on debut,” followed by a tick emoji.

Rashford, meanwhile, appears to share the same view over Gabriel’s abilities. The Aston Villa loanee posted in the comments section: “Future star,” followed by a star emoji and Gabriel replied back with a prayer emoji.

When Rashford signed for Villa on loan in January, Gabriel thanked him for taking penalties with him at Carrington before he had left the club.

Gabriel could well be one of the most exciting talents to emerge from United’s famed academy, but club staff are working to manage expectations, giving the young player space to focus on his development.

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