JJ Gabriel closing in on Man United debut - teenager is a "generational talent"

JJ Gabriel is expected to make his senior debut for Manchester United during pre-season, and Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law has discussed the 15-year-old.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "He's been exceptional"

The talent of a player just 15 years old is extraordinary. He's been exceptional: 26 goals and three assists in 26 appearances for the under-18s. 

He's consistently played two or three years above his age group coming through the Manchester United system. 

He's been compared to Lamine Yamal, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo, though neither he nor his family will want that sort of pressure put on his shoulders. He's a wide player, though he can play left or central. 

He could develop into a number 10 as he grows physically, and his dribbling ability is exceptional. Low centre of gravity, eye for a pass, eye for a goal. 

He's regarded as the generational talent coming through, a Max Dowman type of player. It's excellent news for England. 

Perhaps in 2030 you could have Max Dowman and JJ Gabriel in the England side, which would be terrific. He comes from a footballing background. 

His father, Joe O'Cearuill, was an ex-professional footballer, a youngster at Arsenal who spent a lot of time in non-league. He can play for several countries through his heritage: England, Ireland, Cyprus, and Trinidad and Tobago. 

England will surely be able to tie him down, and he's already played for the under-17s. He's an exceptional talent who will, I'm sure, make his senior competitive debut next season. 

Every time I've watched him, he's that player you just keep finding. It's almost like what Spain do with Lamine Yamal. 

You watch Spain or Barcelona and see how often they look for Yamal: get the ball, find him. He's going to have bumps in the road. 

He's 15, and it will be difficult. Lamine Yamal got criticised in the World Cup for not performing all the time, and Yamal was 19. 

There will be criticism of Gabriel in the coming years if he doesn't reach those heights. He's an outstanding talent.

He trained with the first team a lot last season and was very much involved. He couldn't play for the first team or the under-21s last season because he was 14 at the start of it. 

Rules prevented him from being involved in the under-21s, but at 15 he surely would have featured, which is staggering. A really big talent, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he develops.