Fan protests, a derby defeat with a side of injustice and their best young player asking to leave -- it's not been a great week for Manchester United.
Sunday started with around 500 supporters staging a demonstration against the club's ownership prior to the Manchester derby. As players from United and City walked out at Old Trafford, the banners in the Stretford End were replaced with just one which read: "The way you treat us is a disgrace."
The game itself ended 1-0 to City, decided by a wrongly awarded Erling Haaland goal in a match that saw United playing with a man-advantage for much of it. United received an apology from referee's body Pro Ref on Sunday evening regarding the goal, though the feeling internally was that it meant very little given it wouldn't change a damaging result.
On Monday, club bosses were keen to move past the controversy. They insisted they wanted Michael Carrick and his players to put the City game behind them and focus fully on getting back to winning ways against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Then, on Tuesday, news broke that 15-year-old wonderkid JJ Gabriel wants to leave.
Gabriel, one of the most highly rated young players in England's academy system, was due to be in Carrick's squad against Brighton. A bright talent edging his way toward a senior career would have been a welcome good news story. Instead, the request to leave made by Gabriel and his representatives will only add to the feeling for those on the outside that things are not going well.
United are surprised by Gabriel's decision, sources tell ESPN. They're also unclear about the exact reasons behind it.
Director of football Jason Wilcox led a charm offensive in the summer of 2025 to keep hold of Gabriel, with particular emphasis given to his planned pathway to the first team. He was promoted to train with the squad under Ruben Amorim and also when Carrick took over in January. Gabriel then made his senior debut in a preseason game against Atletico Madrid in August and has been quickly bumped up to the Under-21s.
Gabriel has already scored twice in Premier League 2 this season and got a hat trick in the UEFA Youth League -- an U19 competition -- last week against Sabah FK. He was named last season's Premier League Under-18 player of the year and followed in the footsteps of Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo by claiming United's young player of the year award.
For someone who won't turn 16 until next month, his accomplishments are already about as good as one could ask for. The danger now is that Gabriel could be pried away and go on to become a superstar elsewhere. But that's something for the future and as disappointing as it is for United, there are very few immediate implications.
Eligible to make his professional debut this season, the plan was always to ease Gabriel in gently. In the summer, the expectation was that he would play the bulk of his football for the U18s and the U21s. Shea Lacey, the 19-year-old winger, is considered further along in his development and has already four Premier League appearances.
Despite Gabriel's request to leave immediately, United hope they can still turn the situation around. He's under contract until the end of the season and cannot be deregistered. He's eligible to sign scholarship forms once he turns 16 and with more than 10 months between his birthday on Oct. 6 and next summer, there's time for the club to rebuild their relationship with Gabriel and his family.
It remains uncertain, and in any event it's unlikely to happen in time to prevent Carrick from having to answer some tricky questions. His weekly news conference on Friday will be tougher to negotiate if United don't beat Brighton on Wednesday. Fans are keen for at least one cup run after losing their opening games in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup last season.
Perhaps more importantly, Carrick needs to start chalking up some positive results after a mixed start to the new campaign. Defeat to City left United with just four points from four Premier League games to sit 13th in the table. Their record in all competitions this season is two wins from five.
While the fan protest on Sunday was focused around ticketing issues and rising prices, there's also disquiet about United's relatively subdued transfer window in comparison to the money spent by traditional rivals. There's particular worry about the defense and whether there's enough cover for left back Luke Shaw, who has missed the past two games with injury.
It doesn't get any easier for Carrick from here, either; Brighton's visit is followed by an awkward trip to Fulham, who picked up a creditable point at Liverpool at the weekend. After the extended international break, United face a tough run of three games in eight days against Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Leeds.
Most of the outside noise tends to disappear when United are winning games. But after a difficult start to the season compounded by protests and a shock transfer request, the last thing Carrick and the club need is another bad week.
