Manchester United youngster J.J. Gabriel has emulated Alexander Isak, who scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 thrashing of Liverpool under-18s. The teenage sensation was ignited after helping the young Red Devils annihilate their Merseyside rivals in their own half.
Gabriel’s most memorable goal was an awe-inspiring solo run down the right flank, deftly past several Liverpool defenders and into the back of the net. During the celebrations, the teenager imitated Isaac’s iconic move, taunting him by pointing over his shoulder after scoring.
Isak hasn’t flaunted this special celebration recently, but he used it to grab attention after scoring more goals for Newcastle than Virgil van Dijk against Liverpool last season.
After scoring a hat-trick, Gabriel definitely earned the right to provoke opponents, increasing his number of goals this season to 10.
The win moves Darren Fletcher’s side into third place, ending a disappointing five-game winless run.
Despite Gabriel’s youth, Ruben Amorim is well aware of the youngster’s potential after seeing his skills firsthand in senior training sessions.
“Like everyone, I know he’s a really talented player. We try to pick talented players for training,” the United manager said last month.
“Not only will I know about tomorrow, but I will also give them a feel of what it means to be in the first team, the difficulty of playing against defenders, the difficulty and pace of training.
“If we can take advantage of all the training we need and show the kids what they need to do to get here, that’s important for everyone, not just JJ.”
Although he is not currently allowed to play in the Premier League, given his impressive abilities, there is a good chance that Gabriel will be featured in the senior matchday squad in the near future.
That’s because league rules require players to be 15 years old by Aug. 31 to play this season. Gabriel just celebrated his 15th birthday last month.
However, these rules do not apply to the FA Cup. The teenager could therefore make his debut in the third round of the competition in January.
