Manchester United's "Little Messi" could become the new No. 7! Scheduled for preseason training this summer, debut next season is certain.

According to the UK's Daily Mail, when Manchester United conducts preseason matches in Europe this summer, they are likely to include Gabriel, a 15-year-old academy prodigy dubbed "Little Messi," an English forward. Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirms that insiders at Manchester United view Gabriel as "an absolute next-generation superstar," holding high hopes and believing he will certainly achieve greatness.

Manchester United will stay in Europe for preseason matches next season, abandoning the traditional lucrative tours to the US or Asia. The Red Devils are expected to play five matches on the continent, including one in Helsinki, Finland against Championship surprise package Wrexham. Other venues include Gothenburg, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Warsaw, Poland; and Dublin, Ireland.

This summer's World Cup will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, with the tournament involving 48 teams ending on July 19, a week later than usual. This will affect the preseason plans of top European clubs, who may not have all players back until early August, while the Premier League kicks off on the weekend of August 22.

For Manchester United, commercial revenue from matches in Europe will certainly be less than from overseas tours. However, the US market, fresh from hosting the World Cup, is not keen on attracting European giants for friendlies, as 11 major cities just staged the tournament. United visited Asia last year, and the club considered a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this year but ultimately放弃了 the chance to earn £5 million or even £10 million.

The post-World Cup break for international players gives Gabriel an opportunity to join the first team. He only turned 15 last October, so he does not meet the Premier League's age restrictions for players, but will be eligible next season.

This season, Gabriel can only play at U18 level, not even U21, but he has already trained with the first team multiple times. In April 2025, Gabriel became the youngest ever player for Manchester United's U18s; shortly after, he also became the youngest scorer in team history, scoring twice after coming on as a substitute against Leeds.

Gabriel has scored 18 goals in 19 Premier League U18 games this season, and scored the winning goal in his FA Youth Cup debut, helping United beat Peterborough United to become the youngest scorer in the competition's history. In Wednesday's Youth FA Cup quarter-final, Gabriel performed averagely but still provided an assist, thanks to teammate Junior Brown's stunning angled strike, helping the team逆转 Sunderland 3-2 to advance and face Crystal Palace for a spot in the final.

Next season, Gabriel will certainly not break the Premier League's youngest appearance record, but he could challenge the club's youngest Premier League appearance record. If he scores before November, he could also break the Premier League's youngest goal record.

It is worth noting that Manchester United's prodigy Rashford, currently loaned to Barcelona, has been closely following Gabriel. This worries the Red Devils, as Rashford's communication with Gabriel may not stem from关心 for his old club—he could be recruiting for Barcelona!

Barcelona has already approached Gabriel, arranging a visit to La Masia and a meeting with his idol Yamal. When Gabriel was younger, he was spotted playing in a Barcelona jersey. United's高层 worked hard last summer to persuade him to renew for two years, promising first-team training and earlier future appearances; next season is the time to兑现 those promises. Otherwise, due to his Irish nationality, Gabriel is eligible to transfer to European clubs earlier.

Manchester United's current No. 7 is the "glass man" Mason Mount, and the club intends to sell him this summer or next year. Who will be the next No. 7? Many believe this legendary number could be given to Gabriel! Currently, Gabriel wears No. 95 in the first team, the highest number in club history.

In Manchester United's U18 youth team, Gabriel often wears No. 10 or No. 9. But if Mount leaves, perhaps no one is more suited than Gabriel to take over the once-glorious, recently seemingly cursed legendary No. 7 and restore its brilliance.