Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel makes history with an incredible UEFA Youth League hat-trick

Gabriel stole the show for Manchester United Under-19s during a dominant 5-0 victory against Sabah on Thursday. Amir Ibragimov and Jacob Watson gave the team an early lead, but it was Gabriel who truly shone at Leigh Sports Village.

The forward scored his first goal on the stroke of half-time, before adding two late strikes in the 85th and 87th minutes to secure the match ball. At just 15 years and 339 days old, Gabriel became the youngest player to ever score three goals for Manchester United in this competition, impressing a crowd that included director of football Jason Wilcox.

Gabriel has been widely tipped as a future star and continues to build on exceptional numbers at youth level. According to the Manchester Evening News, the attacker scored 28 goals across 35 appearances for the Under-18s last season.

Moving up to the Under-21s this term, Gabriel hit the ground running with two goals and two assists in his first two outings. He also made his first appearance for the first team off the bench in a friendly against Atlético Madrid last month.

Having met the Premier League age requirement before the current season began, Gabriel is now eligible to make his senior league debut for Manchester United.

Michael Carrick has been monitoring the teenager closely, regularly drafting Gabriel into first-team training sessions and including him in the squad for several pre-season fixtures over the summer. While fans are eager to see the youngster make his competitive senior debut, the head coach has urged a careful approach to his progression. Discussing Gabriel's rapid development, Carrick said: "JJ is a big talent, it's pretty obvious to know that and he's had a really good season for the Under-18s. We obviously think an awful lot of him, but patience is important in managing everything that comes with that and working with him in development as we do with all the different younger players and picking the right moment to step up."

Manchester United have a massive talent on their hands, and the club will carefully manage his development over the coming weeks. If Carrick decides to hand Gabriel a senior appearance before he turns 16 next month, the forward would become the youngest-ever first-team player for the club. For now, Gabriel will look to maintain his incredible goalscoring form in the academy and Europe.