JJ Gabriel, Albert Mills: United starlets nominated for U18 PL POTS award

JJ Gabriel, Albert Mills: United starlets nominated for U18 PL POTS award

Manchester United starlets JJ Gabriel and Albert Mills have been nominated for the Premier League’s Under-18 Player of the Season award.

U-18s stellar season

Under the watchful eye of head coach Darren Fletcher, the Under-18s have enjoyed a superb season, reaching the final of the FA Youth Cup and securing a second-place finish in the Under-18 Premier League North table.

A clash with local rivals Manchester City awaits in the cup, though the game has become embroiled in controversy after the opponents opted to host it at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium, across the road from the Etihad.

“The centrepiece of the academy season is a Manchester derby final, but the game is being played at City’s Joie Stadium on Thursday, May 14, rather than the Etihad,” the Manchester Evening News reports. “City had home advantage for the final but with work going on to ensure the Etihad’s North Stand redevelopment is ready for a test event, say the first-team stadium is unavailable.”

An offer to move the final to Old Trafford at United’s grace was rejected by City, sparking widespread criticism, with MUST describing the decision as a “disgrace”. While both Gabriel and Mills, two of the academy’s standout prospects, look destined to make the step up into senior football, for many youngsters the chance to play in front of a full crowd at a big stadium is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

For the blue half of Manchester to have actively discarded this to maintain ‘home advantage’ in a developmental game justifies supporters’ outrage. The perfect response for United will be to put their noisy neighbours to the sword on May 14 — with Gabriel and Mills set to play a foundational role for Fletcher’s side, as recognised by the Premier League itself.