Manchester United promote 14-year-old dubbed 'Kid Messi' to train with under-18s

It might be doom and gloom at first-team level, but Manchester United fans have every right to be excited for a bright future.

United remain one of the best clubs in world football for nurturing young talent, and although there is still plenty of work to be done before talented teenagers can be considered ready for the senior set-up, there is certainly reason to be excited.

Not only have they completed the triple signing of teenage trio Chido Obi-Martin, Samuel Lusale and James Overy, but they also have a youngster dubbed 'Kid Messi' who is catching the eye of club coaches.

Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel, also known as ‘JJ Gabriel’, has impressed throughout his time at the club and has recently been promoted to train alongside the U18s just days after his 14th birthday.

Gabriel was already a regular for United at U16 level when he was 13, and while he is expected to continue at that level for now, the fact he is even being integrated in the next age bracket is evidence of the enormous talent he has at his disposal.

Back in August, Gabriel was handed the Most Valuable Player award by United great Dimitar Berbatov at the JC Youth Football Academy Summit in Hong Kong, having scored two goals and grabbed an assist in two matches. There was also further excitement when Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong gave a shoutout to the teenager on his Instagram page, who both work with the same private coach.

He earned the nickname ‘Kid Messi’ after clips of him went viral on social media, though he has also been likened to Neymar Jr due to his high level of trickery.