Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey has taken to social media and posted what appears to be a jab at fellow wonderkid JJ Gabriel.
The 19-year-old uploaded an image to X (formerly Twitter) of him arriving with the squad at Old Trafford, in Manchester United attire.
The photo was accompanied by a heart emoji as its caption. It arrived shortly after news broke of Gabriel attempting to exit Manchester United.
Shea Lacey makes timely Manchester United social media post
Lacey’s post was immediately flooded with support from the Red Devils faithful, with many interpreting it as being in response to Gabriel’s attempted departure.
The image has amassed over 100,000 likes on X, with Manchester United fans describing Lacey as “the future” and a “proper Red” in the comments beneath.
Gabriel, who scored over 20 goals for Manchester United’s development squad last term, informed the club earlier this week of his intention to depart as a free agent. Due to his age, the actual request is for his schoolboy forms to be cancelled and allowed to leave as he cannot be signed to a professional contract until his 17th birthday.
Reports also circulated that portrayed Gabriel as being frustrated by Lacey and Harry Amass receiving Champions League appearances versus Sabah last Thursday, while he didn’t get the Michael Carrick nod.
The Red Devils won that clash 4-0, with both Lacey and Amass being substituted on for Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu respectively in the 72nd minute.
Gabriel, who received his unofficial senior debut during pre-season versus Atletico Madrid, was not part of the squad to face the Azeri champions.
For Gabriel’s youth player registration to be cancelled, the player, club and parent/carer must all agree on the departure. In the event of this failing to be reached, the Premier League are able to intervene.
‘Kid Messi’ is Gabriel’s unofficial nickname, and the Manchester United boss attested to his staggering quality back in August.
“JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development,” Carrick said.
Under-21s boss Adam Lawrence has also chimed in, stating that his primary goal was to “not ruin” the Manchester United youngster, who now appears set to leave.
“Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him. When you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads, of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity,” he said.
Gabriel is being courted by the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain according to reports.
