Joseph “JJ” Gabriel is 15, three weeks short of his 16th birthday, and has just told Manchester United he does not want to be one of theirs any more. The forward nicknamed “Kid Messi” has sent formal notice that he wishes to cancel his registration at the club with immediate effect and become a free agent, a decision first reported by Matt Law of The Telegraph on Tuesday.

The timing is what makes it a bombshell. Gabriel was in line to be involved in Manchester United’s Carabao Cup tie at home to Brighton this Wednesday. He has now been pulled from that squad. Days earlier, he had scored a hat-trick against Sabah FK on his UEFA Youth League debut and then wiped every trace of the club from his Instagram feed.

A youngest-ever record already broken

Gabriel scored 21 goals in the Under-18 Premier League last season and was named the competition’s Player of the Year. He is the youngest ever winner of Manchester United’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award, an honour previously handed to Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford. Giggs has described him as a “generational talent”.

The nickname “Kid Messi” was pinned on him after a YouTube clip of him aged nine went viral. A source close to the situation told The Telegraph the scale of what United are facing.

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“This would be like Barcelona losing Messi before he had played for them. It would be huge.”

Real Madrid have the legal opening

Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all been linked with Gabriel over the past year, with City having previously failed in an approach to take him across the city. Real Madrid are the club best placed to move first. Gabriel holds an Irish passport, and under FIFA rules European clubs can register a foreign minor from the age of 16. He turns 16 on 6 October.

Under Premier League and FA rules a registered academy player cannot unilaterally rip up his registration. United can refuse the request, and if they do, the dispute would go to the Premier League for a binding ruling. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are directly involved in trying to hold on to him, and the club still believes the situation is “rectifiable”.

Head coach Michael Carrick, confirmed as permanent head coach after guiding United back into the Champions League, worked with Gabriel through pre-season and gave him a brief cameo as a trialist against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm. Limited senior minutes since then are understood to be part of what has driven the request.

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Gabriel cannot sign a scholarship deal at United until his 16th birthday, and cannot sign a full professional contract until he turns 17. If United refuse to release him, the Premier League verdict is the next concrete step.

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