Man United Fans React After Teammate's Cryptic Post Amid JJ Gabriel Exit Request

Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey has sparked a big reaction online after posting what many fans took as a subtle dig at academy sensation JJ Gabriel, who it emerged this week wants to leave the club.

The news broke on Tuesday that 15 year old Gabriel, seen by many as United's brightest academy prospect and nicknamed "kid Messi," had asked to leave. He's since been left out of the squad for today's Carabao Cup game against Brighton.

Later that night, 19 year old Lacey posted a picture of himself arriving at Old Trafford along with a heart emoji. He didn't mention Gabriel by name, but the timing was enough to set off a wave of reaction. The post has now racked up 5.9 million views, and fans flooded the comments with support, with messages like "you are the future" and "you chose to stay at United, that's real passion my boy."

Shea Lacey posted this cryptic tweet after the news that JJ Gabriel wants to leave Man United

Gabriel, meanwhile, hasn't done himself any favors with supporters either. He recently wiped his Instagram account clean of anything related to United, which only added fuel to the story.

It's worth noting Gabriel is still just a teenager, and decisions like this one are rarely made alone. Family and agents typically play a big role in these situations. 

Daily Mail Sport's Oliver Holt has pointed the finger at the club itself, questioning why one of England's top young talents would want to stay tied to a club currently going through a rough patch under ownership that's drawn plenty of criticism.

The timing of it all makes the situation sting even more. Less than a week ago, Gabriel scored a hat trick on his UEFA Youth League debut against FK Sabah, becoming the youngest player in United's history to do so.

This isn't the first time Gabriel has considered walking away. Last summer, when he first hinted at wanting out, director of football Jason Wilcox stepped in personally. Along with head of negotiations Matt Hargreaves, he managed to convince Gabriel to stay by laying out a path toward becoming United's youngest ever first team player.

Since then, Gabriel has been playing up six age groups and has been thriving with the under 21s. Sources at the club believe there's still a chance the situation could be turned around. Even though Gabriel has made his request known, he can't be removed from the squad, and his current contract runs until the end of the season.

Behind the scenes, it's understood Barcelona have been tracking Gabriel for years. Because he holds an Irish passport, he's able to move abroad at 16, which would open the door for him to play in Europe well before he'd normally be allowed to leave the UK.

Just days before the story broke, Gabriel's youth coach Adam Lawrence, who oversees the under 19s and under 21s, spoke about what it's like working with a player of his talent. "I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him," Lawrence said. "So when you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity. And I think essentially what you try and do is to set the team up to allow the talent to function and to play free at the right moments."

Lawrence also praised how Gabriel has been developing. "It's enjoyable working with him and challenging as a coach because the best players challenge you. When you work with talented players you have to find a way to help them and allow them to flourish and keep improving."

When asked about the people around Gabriel guiding his career, Lawrence was quick to defend them. "With JJ, he's surrounded by people that really believe in him. From the top of the club right the way through. Where he's been at the club for so long, he's got good relationships with the players, with the staff."

He added that the club has put real effort into managing Gabriel's development. "We're obviously not perfect but it's definitely something we put a lot of thought into. So yeah, it's good to see him just enjoying his football and in a good place for sure."

Despite that, those words won't offer much comfort to United fans right now, especially with a first team debut for Gabriel long expected to arrive sometime this week.