JJ Gabriel’s Manchester United future remains in serious doubt but the Red Devils already have their next star off of the Carrington conveyer belt, and he’s following in the footsteps of a club icon

Kai Rooney is a chip off the old block if his superb performance against Burnley this week is anything to go by, a game in which he netted four goals in a completely dominant 6-0 victory for Manchester United's under 18s.

There is naturally huge interest in the youngster given who his father is, and it was a great moment to be there for his first appearance at Old Trafford in the FA Youth Cup last season.

Rooney is a different type of player to his dad; he likes to play on the right wing and cut inside with his left foot. But his goals against Burnley show he has the same finishing instincts.

It was interesting to see how Rooney celebrated his second goal against Burnley. It has gone under the radar, but he celebrated in the same way as JJ Gabriel would - including on his last appearance for United in September.

The 'arm across the face and gun finger celebration' was used by Rooney. It's impossible to say for sure, but it did seem like a dig at Gabriel, whose camp has pushed for an exit over alleged broken promises.

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The 16-year-old looked primed for a first-team debut earlier this year, having caught the eye within the Red Devils’ youth ranks. In September, Gabriel was set to be included in the senior squad for the first time during United’s Carabao Cup clash with Brighton

But just a day before that game, Gabriel expressed his desire to leave the club and demanded that his registration with the club be ripped up. As it stands, that has not happened, with no sign of a solution.

From Gabriel’s side of things, he has been training in Spain amid links with a switch to La Liga giants Barcelona. But that may be more difficult than first thought with the club’s sporting director, Deco, claiming that they had no interest in signing him.

"There's nothing to say about this boy," Deco said. "It's normal that players are linked with us. It always happens. There's a huge market for that with a lot of interests involved, even when [players] are young.

"But we are not interested in any player in his situation. I'm not sure what's happening, and if he's still a Manchester United player. We are not involved in that.

"First of all, we need to understand how the situation is before we try to do something. To speak about young, teenage players, it is not our business."

It’s a situation that is no good for anyone. Gabriel is currently outside of any club environment, which could prove damaging for a young player, while United are left with one of their brightest talents angling to go elsewhere.

Fortunately, they have Rooney junior to step up in his absence. After starting his youth career within the Red Devils’ system, the youngster went on to leave for rivals Manchester City before moving to Bethesda SC when his dad moved to MLS.

Rooney junior returned to Manchester in 2020 and eventually broke the club’s record for the most goals scored at under-12 level with 56. He has continued that record with the under 18s, with seven goals in nine appearances, four of those coming in his sensational performance against Burnley.

Of course, no one is expecting Kai to reach the lofty levels of his dad - Wayne having plundered an eye-watering 253 goals in 559 outings for the Red Devils. But if he can make the club forget about teammate Gabriel, he’s doing a stellar job.