And it has been evident on countless other occasions when he has been kicked by far bigger players this term but has got straight back up and on with the job of terrorising defences.
United’s senior players have seen it for themselves in training. Gabriel has trained with the first team on numerous occasions this season and he has made quite the impression. “He’s strong – the little guy is strong,” Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo told the Zack en Roue Libre podcast last month. “You feel that he’s bound to be a little kid but he trains quite a bit with us and you can feel that the little guy has something special.”
City try to lure him… but he stays put
United had to fight very hard to keep Gabriel last summer as rivals sought to take advantage of a rule that permits players at the end of their under-14 year to “serve notice” to leave, de-register with their club and move freely.
Telegraph Sport understands Manchester City made serious efforts to try to entice Gabriel across the city divide. At one point United feared they might lose him.
But the club managed to convince the youngster that his future was best served where he was. Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, is thought to have played an important role in that process.
United are leaving nothing to chance though. There is a delicate balance to strike these days between carefully managing the development of the very best talents and giving those same ambitious and much-coveted players tangible sight of a first-team pathway.
Aside from those training sessions with the senior squad, Gabriel has been a guest in the directors’ box on match days on several occasions. At the Everton game at Old Trafford in November, the teenager was seated just a couple of rows behind Sir Alex Ferguson, who has already been introduced to Gabriel and is well aware of the attention around the jewel in the club’s academy crown.
