Livid Man Utd wonderkid JJ Gabriel speaks out after straight red card in cup quarter-final tie

Manchester United's Under-18s ran out 4-3 winners on Tuesday in their Premier League U18 Cup quarter-final clash against West Brom but the game was somewhat overshadowed by Gabriel's dismissal. The 15-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most promising talents in the club's academy and has already trained with the first team this season. He's also played at Old Trafford in the current campaign and seemed at home in the famous old stadium, scoring the winner in an FA Youth Cup tie against Peterborough. However, he's now attracted headlines for all the wrong reasons after being sent off against the Baggies. The red card also carries a potential three-match ban for Gabriel, meaning he could be set for a spell out.

Gabriel fumed about the decision on social media. He posted a video of the incident on Instagram stories with the caption: "How can this be a yellow let alone a red, how?"

Manchester United are expected to appeal the decision, according to BBC Sport. The 15-year-old is currently facing a three-match ban that would keep him out of United's game against Oxford United on 18 February in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup as well as Premier League Under-18 matches against Manchester City and Wolves for Darren Fletcher's side.

Gabriel may still only be 15 but he's been making waves in the youth ranks at Manchester United and has drawn praise. Former boss Ruben Amorim also called the youngster up to first-team training and shared his thoughts on the wonderkid. "Like everyone, I know he is a really talented guy," he said. "We try to pick players for training that have talent, not just for me to see for tomorrow but for them to feel what it means to be in the first team, the difficulties playing against our defenders, the difficulty and pace of our training.  If we can use every training we have to show the kids what they need to do to be here, it is important, not just for JJ but for everyone."

Club legend Wayne Rooney has also given his verdict after seeing Gabriel play alongside his eldest son Kai. He said on The Wayne Rooney Show: "There’s a young lad at Manchester United who sounds very similar. JJ Gabriel, and I think he’s got like millions of followers and he’s in the same team as my boy. So, I’ve watched him grow up and develop and he’s a fantastic player. Got such a bright future."

Gabriel now faces an anxious wait to see if Manchester United can successfully appeal the sending off. If not, he will be forced to watch his team from the sidelines over the coming weeks.