One of the most talked about young players in England’s academy system, director of football Jason Wilcox was personally involved in persuading Gabriel to remain at United last summer.
It is part of a concerted effort to bring promising young talents to the Old Trafford club, which Thompson’s arrival from Tottenham is part of.
Gabriel first came to notice outside United circles in April 2025.
Striker Victor Musa scored six times as United beat Leeds 13-1 in a lopsided Under-18 Premier League encounter.
But neither the score, nor Musa’s double hat-trick, was the main talking point that day – it was a 25-minute cameo from Gabriel on his debut, then aged just 14 and a half.
Pace, balance and control were already evident. He also scored twice to show he has an eye for goal.
He built on that early promise last season. For most of the campaign he seemed destined to finish as the league’s top scorer, only for Manchester City’s Teddie Lamb to pip him in the final couple of games.
Gabriel was a stand-out performer, scoring 29 times in 32 appearances for the Red Devils, helping them to reach the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Under-18 cup finals.
He was initially called up for first-team training by Ruben Amorim and has been a regular at sessions since, with Carrick keeping a close eye on United’s academy teams.
Gabriel was not involved in last week’s defeat by Wrexham in Helsinki as he had returned to training less than a week earlier, but United are carefully handling a precocious talent.
The teenager was invited into the directors’ box on a number of occasions last season and met with Sir Alex Ferguson following a draw against West Ham at Old Trafford in December.
Such access is not commonplace, which underlines how much promise United see in the youngster.
For context, Gabriel is just about to enter his GCSE year. He played – and scored – in last season’s FA Youth Cup at a younger age than legendary Manchester United figures such as Duncan Edwards and Eddie Colman from the Busby Babes and also Ryan Giggs.
Of course, there have been plenty of talented young players – Arsenal’s Max Dowman is a current example. Not all fulfil their potential.
What offers additional hope around Gabriel is his size.
He has made such a significant impact despite his slight frame. United’s coaching staff moved him inside from his preferred position cutting in from the left last season to keep him away from full-backs who were bigger and stronger and could try and muscle him out of the way.
There was a belief Gabriel would grow this summer and judging by his social media feed, he has been working on that.
Having decided to target the youth market to offer the best chance of future success, it would be counterproductive to hold back someone already in their ranks, so Gabriel’s call-up for this trip makes perfect sense.
If Gabriel features in Norway he will be one of the youngest players ever to play a senior game. The youngest player to feature in a competitive match for United is David Gaskell, a goalkeeper who made his debut when he was 16 years and 19 days. Gabriel will not be 16 until 6 October.
Not everyone in Carrick’s squad is guaranteed to play.
United took 25 men to Helsinki for the defeat by Wrexham. Even though Carrick picked completely different teams for each half, goalkeeper Dermot Mee, midfielder Jim Thwaites and striker Chido Obi were not used.
But if Gabriel gets a chance, it will be instructive for United’s coaches to see how he copes with senior opponents. That will determine Gabriel’s future games programme as United’s World Cup players begin to return.
