The Ineos era of Manchester United’s Im Ratcliffe and Ineos was a roller coaster of emotions up until now.
The old regime was barely ideal, but the trophies were regular events and under new ownership, it was not a smooth voyage at all.
Eric Ten Hug has left, but perhaps they should stick to the Dutch. After all, Reuben Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford is disastrous and, honestly, he places it politely.
United returned to victory on Saturday, beating the high-flying Sunderland 2-0, but the Portuguese has not shown the immeasurable management potential they have made at Lisbon Sports CP.
In fact, after 33 games, only five managers in Premier League history scored points. This is Manchester United, not a team threatened by relegation. Things need to be improved.
But there was something good that came from the days of Amorim and Ratcliffe. They put together a backroom team that was much more organized and traced backroom after the days of Ir Alex Ferguson, who washed away some bad eggs and recruited Premier League-enabled talent. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are proof of that.
They have also come well to maintain the current poster boy at the club, JJ Gabriel’s Carrington Academy.
How Manchester United persuaded JJ Gabriel to stay
Man United Academy has been a sacred place for a while. It may not be Barcelona’s Ramasia, but the 92 class is known all over the world.
Surprisingly, United had someone from the academy on every team during their first team’s match since 1937, but that record is now at risk.
Amorim’s treatment of Kobbie Mainoo almost saw him leave. He was the only complete Carrington alumni on the team for his victory at Sunderland. Iden Heaven was on the bench, but he is technically a graduate of Arsenal’s Hale End.
It may take a few more years to see 15-year-old JJ Gabriel make waves at the first team level, but he certainly looks like the next big thing coming out of the club’s academy.
Called “one of the most exciting talents in the world” by Stephen Railston of Manchester Evening News, the teen has been eye-catching for a while, already playing his age group a few years older.
Perhaps Carrington’s most sparkling gem, he has already found the net on seven occasions with this semester in the six Under-18 Premier League. Yes, he’s pretty special.
As men outline, some academy followers believe that “he can be the best talent United academy has ever seen,” but there was a threat that he would leave.
Already sponsored by Nike and boasting over 200,000 followers on Instagram, Gabriel is now all the hype and has since attracted much attention.
He was nearing leaving in the summer and reportedly discussed at an advanced stage where one of the top European clubs was. But there was a meeting in Currington, with football director Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Barada.
They told Gabriel that he could become the face of the club. This determined that the young people had decided to stay northwest.
So, he’s already supported by Wilcox and Barada, but is there a greater talent in the academy’s rank now? probably.
JJ Gabriel’s biggest rival at Carrington
Gabriel appears to be one of the best talents on the youth circuit at this point, but a lot of hard work should be done before he gets the chance.
He will also need to find a path past the sense of not only Benjamin Sesco but another academy named Chido Obi Martin over the next few years.
Obi Martin arrived from Arsenal this time last year and, given his record at the youth level, it was a move that sparked a bit of a move.
After all, before Max Dowman came to the scene, he was undoubtedly the best talent in Hale End. He scored 32 goals in the official game of Arsenal’s Under-18s 21, scoring 10 goals in a 14-3 victory over Liverpool Under-16. It’s safe to say he knows where the net is.
Sadly, for the gunner, he didn’t see a path to his first team and moved to United. There, his achievement received game time in the previous term.
However, in 2025/26, Amorim never selected him on the senior matchday team. That’s despite scoring three goals in two six Premier League matches.
Chido Obi’s development may have slowed slightly throughout 2025, but it remains one of the best strikers seen at the youth level in the country.
In Scout Jacek Kulig’s words, he is a “goal scoring machine.” No player scored at a faster rating in the history of the U18 Premier League (37 goals in 24 games). Nicholas Eukenle of Southampton has won more at that level in the history of competition (38).
There is a big difference between youth and senior football. Many players soared through the academy and were unable to improve their grades since. That’s a concern for Obi, but the fact that he was playing a game for United’s first team at the age of 17 last season speaks volume.
Gabriel is now attracting all the attention, but don’t forget Obi Martin. He is even more prolific than his teen counterpart. Amorim has to find space for his team to unleash him this season.
