Manchester United Faces JJ Gabriel Exit Amid Carrick's Support
Manchester United are facing the prospect of losing teenage talent JJ Gabriel to Real Madrid or Barcelona for a fraction of what they believe he could be worth, just as pressure mounts behind the scenes over Michael Carrick’s future.
The 15-year-old forward has formally asked to have his registration at Old Trafford cancelled, paving the way for a move abroad once he turns 16 on October 6. Real Madrid and Barcelona have both held talks with Gabriel, and those discussions have been described as positive.
If he does end up at either of the Spanish giants, United will receive only around £300,000 in compensation, according to The Daily Mail – a modest fee for a player they had high hopes for. Gabriel holds an Irish passport, which allows him to move overseas at 16, leaving United with little leverage beyond that training compensation.
It is a familiar story for United: a highly rated youngster attracting elite interest before he has even had the chance to make a first-team impression, and leaving for a sum that barely dents the modern transfer market.
Carrick stays – for now
While Gabriel edges towards the exit, the focus inside Old Trafford is fixed on the man in the dugout.
On September 17, transfer insider Graeme Bailey reported that United’s hierarchy have decided to stick with Michael Carrick as manager. Co-owners INEOS have no immediate plans to sack him, despite a stuttering start to the Premier League season – just four points from four games – and a League Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford this week.
Jason Wilcox, the club’s director of football, is understood to be firmly behind Carrick. He wants United to commit to the former midfielder as a long-term project, even as frustration grows outside the club.
That internal backing has not silenced the debate. Prominent United fan, YouTuber and presenter Mark Goldbridge, who has over 1.1 million followers on X, claimed on Wednesday morning that there is at least one dissenting voice in the boardroom.
“Someone on the board isn’t convinced by Carrick. It’s not Wilcox though. Wilcox is firmly with Carrick and believes United should stick with his decision for the long term,” he wrote.
Goldbridge then turned his fire on Wilcox himself, questioning how the director of football still holds such influence.
“The BIG question is why Wilcox is still here? Everything he’s touched has been catastrophic and he had no CV for this job in the first place. How he’s still calling the shots is incredible,” he posted.
Wilcox’s remit is to be close to training, support Carrick on coaching and recruitment, and shape the wider football strategy. Since arriving in April 2024, he has already overseen the dismissals of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. Now he is the key figure arguing to give Carrick time.
The split is clear: a director of football doubling down on his chosen manager, and at least one board member unconvinced by what they are seeing on the pitch.
Tuchel’s blunt message to Maguire
Away from the club scene, Harry Maguire’s international future remains under a harsh spotlight.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has once again left the Manchester United centre-back out of his squad, having already omitted him from the 2026 World Cup finals in the summer. Maguire is not involved for the September and October international fixtures either.
The defender publicly voiced his disappointment at missing the World Cup squad, comments that did not sit well with Tuchel. Asked whether Maguire’s reaction has made it harder to pick him again, Tuchel did not dodge the issue.
“It doesn’t help. It does not help,” he said, as quoted by The Mirror.
“I will not hold it against him for the rest of his life because I’m not that type of person. I can forget easily and quickly, but I didn’t like it and it doesn’t help.”
The message is unambiguous. Maguire’s words have damaged his standing with the national team coach, even if Tuchel insists the door is not permanently closed.
So United find themselves in a familiar storm: a prized teenager on the verge of leaving for a cut-price fee, a manager under scrutiny but protected by a powerful ally, and a senior defender frozen out on the international stage. How long can this fragile balance hold?
