Kai Rooney can make his Man Utd first-team debut but JJ Gabriel is banned

Kai Rooney and JJ Gabriel are both highly-regarded talents at Manchester United but only one is eligible to play for the senior team this season

Kai Rooney is eligible to make his Manchester United first-team debut this season - unlike fellow academy starlet JJ Gabriel. The 16-year-old – who is the son of Red Devils icon Wayne Rooney – recently impressed by scoring four goals in the Under‑16s' 6-4 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League Cup semi‑final.

He's already made his debut for the Under-18s last year and has scored once in three appearances. Last month, he made his Old Trafford debut when coming on as a substitute in the Under-18s' 2-1 extra-time win over Derby County to book a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

Watched by his father and United interim boss Michael Carrick at the Theatre of Dreams, the teenager could potentially turn out at the legendary ground again this season - this time as part of the senior squad.

Due to Premier League rules, players must be 15 years old when the 2025/26 season kicked off in August in order to feature for the first-team. Because Kai turned 15 in November 2024, he's legally allowed to play under Carrick, even though it appears highly unlikely this season at least.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for JJ Gabriel with regards to a possible United debut in the Premier League. The 15-year-old is regarded by many as United's biggest academy prospect and has already trained with the club's first-team under Ruben Amorim and Carrick.

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Despite the hype surrounding the Enfield-born forward, he only turned 15 last October. And, because he was still 14 on the August 31st deadline, he won't be allowed to make his senior league debut until the 2026/27 season.

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Gabriel started in both of United's FA Youth Cup wins this season and played 115 minutes in the victory over Derby County, where he featured alongside the teenage Rooney. With 15 goals in 20 league games for United Under-18s this season, Gabriel has created huge excitement among those at the club.

The youngster was eligible to play in the FA Cup as the Premier League age restrictions do not apply in the cup competition. However, United were knocked out of the tournament at home to Brighton as fellow teenager Shea Lacey made his FA Cup debut but was sent off for two yellow cards.

United Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher admitted that Gabriel has a "bright future" and detailed what he must do to reach his potential in football. "JJ is a fantastic talent," the Scotsman said. "I've enjoyed working with him immensely, getting to know him.

"He's a young lad with a massive sort of hype, you know there's a lot of noise around him and deservedly so because he's a real talented kid. He works hard. First thing I'd say is he loves football. He loves training, he loves playing, he loves having the ball, he loves expressing himself. He makes fantastic decisions.

"He's got an enthusiasm for the game that's just amazing. 15-year-old, a bright future ahead of him. I'm super excited by his talent, but the most important thing is that he keeps developing, and he's in the U18s team, and he's doing fantastically well, but he's still got lots to learn."

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