rift

While tensions between Gabriel’s camp and United had been simmering for a number of months, sources have told BBC Sport the player’s decision to seek a move away was ultimately triggered by his non-inclusion in Michael Carrick side for the Champions League encounter with Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK on 10 September.

The youngster’s camp had expressed a desire for Gabriel to be used as a substitute against Sabah – which, on paper, was the easiest of United’s league-phase games.

Sources say the prospect of the Londoner coming on against Brighton in the EFL Cup on 16 September was also discussed, with United officials subsequently insistent that was the plan.

Had he played in either match, Gabriel would have become United’s youngest ever player.

However, by the time the encounter with Fabian Hurzeler’s side arrived, the striker had already told the club of his intention to quit and had left the country.

Gabriel could not play against Sabah because he had not been registered on United’s Uefa A list of players when it was announced on 3 September. The precise reasons for this have not been made clear.

It did not prevent him scoring a hat-trick in a Uefa Youth League game against them at Leigh Sports Village earlier on 10 September. While he has not been back to United since, it is not clear whether anything significant happened after that game.

For their part, United believe they made it clear they view Gabriel as immensely important to their first-team future, even though sources have indicated the player did not report for the start of the academy’s pre-season training schedule at the beginning of July – a week earlier than the senior squad – despite being asked to do so.

Sources also say they lobbied the Premier League to allow the forward to use “JJ Gabriel” on the back of his shirt – which they believe underlined their commitment to the academy prospect.

Gabriel’s real name is Joseph Junior Andreou O’Cearuill – but he is reported to have changed his name for commercial purposes.

In addition, United say they have provided Gabriel with first-team care and services – included regular meetings with senior coaches and nutritionists.

That he was included in the senior team photo is also viewed as further evidence of their commitment to his development and transition into first-team football.

Country western star Wynonna Judd is confirming that she and her sister, Emmy Award-nominated actor Ashley Judd, do not have a relationship.

She spoke with People ahead of the release of her 10th solo studio album, “The Hard Truth,” which drops Friday, and revealed that the rift between the sisters is still there after years of on and off disharmony.

Wynonna told the outlet that Ashley hadn’t heard the album, as the sisters are not “connected.”

“We’re taking a break, which all families can relate to,” she said. “She’s doing her thing, and I’m doing mine.”

In April 2022, Wynonna and Ashley’s mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide at 76 after a lifelong battle with depression. Naomi and Wynonna made up the Grammy-winning duo the Judds.

At the time, the sisters released a statement together, writing, “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. … We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”

The following month, the two appeared at the annual Medallion Ceremony, where the Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the sisters spoke on behalf of their mother.

“While this is so much about the Judds as a duo, I want to take a moment to recognize my sister, a GOAT,” Ashley said at the ceremony. “Do you know what that means? I don’t think she knows I’m calling her the greatest of all time. She lives on a farm. She’s being a little literal.”

Ashley told the crowd that growing up as the younger sister of Wynonna, she got to “bask in this voice that was around the house, and I’ve always been so proud of the music and so proud of you. … So I know that we’re talking a lot about Mom tonight, as we should be. Our beautiful mother, and I want you to know that you also are being inducted to the Hall of Fame tonight. And newspapers don’t get much right these days, but when the Los Angeles Times said you were Elvis-like, they got it right. And I love you, and I’m proud of you. And Mom is proud of you, and she always was.”

By October 2022, rumors were flying that the sisters were fighting over their mother’s will, a claim that Wynonna shot down while speaking with People.

“Someone told me while I was at Ashley’s house, ‘Hey, did you know that they’re saying this about you?’ I went, ‘Huh? I’m fighting with Ashley?’” Wynonna said. “Fighting over what? I have such a great life. Ashley has a great life. Why would we be fighting over the will?”

This wasn’t the first time a feud was reported between the two. Back in January 2015, Wynonna gave a teary-eyed account of the disconnect during an appearance on AXS TV’s “The Big Interview With Dan Rather.”

“The only thing I have in common with my sister is a father missing and a mother that’s both of ours. She and I are very different. We don’t communicate, nor do we spend time together, and that’s a long history of being apart,” Wynonna told Rather.

Wynonna said that she and Ashley were dysfunctional, didn’t agree on anything and developed separate lives, but she cared for her younger sister growing up.

“I raised Ashley, so I think there’s a lot of work we still have to do about where do we find the ‘sister’ in all of this,” she said. “She called me sister mommy, and I really had a hard time with that, because I was like, I don’t want to be your mommy. I want to be your sister.”

Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus has said there is no rift with captain Cristiano Ronaldo following claims the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had refused to train.

The Al-Nassr forward did not feature in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway in Olso on Sunday and did not join his team-mates in going over to the visiting fans at the final whistle.

Instead, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player headed to the changing rooms – prompting reports he was unhappy with the manager.

Speaking to media before Portugal’s Nations League match against Denmark on Thursday, Jesus said: “There was no incident whatsoever.

“Any player – and I was a player myself – when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no-one is happy about that.”

Jesus said he had told Ronaldo before the match he would not be starting, but might be brought on later in the game.

“Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” he added.

Former Benfica manager Jesus also dismissed suggestions Ronaldo had refused to train on Tuesday, saying the 41-year-old instead had to do individual exercises for “mobility” and “strengthening” but would train as normal on Wednesday.

However, Ronaldo did not join his team-mates on the pitch in Denmark with Portuguese media sharing a video of him leaving Parken stadium alongside two members of the backroom staff.

They also said Ronaldo’s private jet was heading to Copenhagen.

Goncalo Ramos scored the winner against Norway and Jesus confirmed the AC Milan striker would again be preferred to Ronaldo against Denmark.

“If everything goes according to plan, it will be Goncalo who plays,” Jesus said.

“If I need [Ronaldo], he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t.”

THEY’RE two of the nation’s biggest content creators with over 700,000 YouTube subscribers between them.

But Joe Baggs, 29, and GK Barry, 27, are no longer flying the flag for each other’s media careers and their once close friendship appears to be in tatters.

A source told The Sun: “GK and Joe used to be joined at the hip but they have quietly grown apart. They haven’t been seen together publicly since GK left the jungle, and never like each other’s posts on social media.

“Even when GK released her book, which was a big deal for her, there was radio silence from Joe.

“There’s lots of whispers about what went down, some have speculated that Joe was jealous when Grace got her spot in the jungle as he’s always wanted to do that show, while others have rubbished that suggestion and said they just drifted as she got busier.

“What’s really sad is that she always used to be round his family’s house for dinner, went on holiday together and they always posted it on the ‘gram, and now she’s never seen with the Baggs lot. It’s like they just disappeared from each other’s lives.

“Tellingly, Joe’s boyfriend Kane used to seem pretty pally with Grace too, but even he doesn’t comment on her posts anymore, so something sad has definitely gone down.”

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Another source close to Joe insisted, however, that there is no bad blood.

They said: “Joe couldn’t be prouder of everything Grace has achieved since leaving the jungle. The reality is that both of their careers have taken off in different directions and, with increasingly busy work schedules, they simply don’t get to spend as much time together as they once did.

“There’s absolutely no bad blood, they remain friends and continue to champion one another from the sidelines.”

Just this week, however, Joe appeared to give away the lack of closeness between him and Grace, where he revealed fellow podcaster Chloe Burrows is his best pal at the Fellas Studio, where they both record their podcasts.

Interestingly GK also records her hit podcast, Saving Grace, at Fellas, as they are all part of the same podcast company, so the fact that he named Chloe as his work bestie and not Grace has caused a flurry of gossip in their inner circle.

“Joe and GK have lots of mutual friends, and they are all talking about this,” a pal spilled.

“The fact that Joe said this about Chloe on his pod was basically admitting that he and Grace aren’t close anymore, but few fans will have clocked it because they don’t understand they all work out of the same studio.

“Strangely, both GK and Joe are being very tight-lipped, even with their friends, about what went down, which has only made the rumour mill even more frenzied.

“It’s a shame as they were so close and they are very similar, but sadly, right now it’s looking like they aren’t going to be BFFs again anytime soon.”

The Sun has contacted representatives for Joe and GK for comment.

Both YouTubers have been chasing mainstream fame and have had successful years.

GK – real name Grace Keeling – was one of the standout stars on I’m A Celebrity last year and has gone on to establish herself as a Loose Woman. She’s also landed her own weekly show on Radio 1 as the station underwent a major reshuffle to appeal to a young more online-driven audience.

However, listeners of the BBC station criticised her first show and questioned if it was recorded live like her predecessors Matt Edmonson and Mollie King after she failed to interact with the audience.

Meanwhile, Joe is now a panellist on Love Island: Aftersun and hosted an official Britain’s Got Talent spin-off.