United teen Biancheri invited to Canada's camp for June tournament

Canada coach Jesse Marsch believes he may have found another Jonathan David in 18-year-old Manchester United academy forward Gabe Biancheri.

But Biancheri, who has been invited to train with Canada ahead of next month's Canadian Shield tournament in Toronto, is  in demand.

The Cardiff-born Biancheri, whose mother is Canadian and father Italian, has represented Wales at youth level and is also eligible for England and Italy.

"We're excited to have him," Marsch said. "He's still young. He still has a plan to be with the under-21s from Wales as well, but I think it will be really good for him to spend some time with us (in camp) in Halifax and Toronto." 

Biancheri spent nine years at Cardiff City before joining Manchester United on a four-year deal in February 2023 as a 16-year-old. 

The teenager started for Wales in European Under-19 Championship qualifiers against England, Portugal and Turkey in March, scoring against Turkey. He has scored in bunches for the United academy and trained with the first team, amidst reports that the Premier League side has already turned down a transfer offer for the young striker from Italy's Como.

"He's a dynamic player. He's very good around the goal," said Marsch. "He's technically gifted. You can see he's an intelligent player.

"He's a version of Jonathan David. He's not exactly the same player but he's a striker that can play up on the backline but also is good at coming underneath and connecting plays and being part of the buildup phase."

David, currently evaluating his job prospects after his contract with France's Lille expires, is Canada's leading scorer with 32 goals in 61 appearances.

March said he told Biancheri's father that while the striker position with Canada "is competitive," the youngster would have a chance to make his mark if he came on board.

The Canadian Shield is a new four-team tournament organized by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns Toronto FC and operates BMO Field.

The Canadian men, currently ranked an all-time high of No. 30, face No. 25 Ukraine on June 7 and the 41st-ranked Ivory Coast on June 10. No. 86 New Zealand is also taking part.

In addition to facing marquee opposition, the Canadian Shield serves as a tune-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where Canada will face No. 75 Honduras, No. 81 El Salvador and No. 90 Curaçao in Group B.

The Canadians host Honduras on June 17 at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium before heading to Houston to face Curaçao on June 21 and El Salvador on June 24. The top two teams in the group move on to the knockout stage of the 16-team tournament.

CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois is the other training player invited for the Canadian Shield. Marsch's 23-player roster also includes goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St. Clair.

Unavailable through injury are captain Alphonso Davies, defenders Alistair Johnston and Moise Bombito, midfielder Jonathan Osorio and forward Liam Millar.

Davies and Millar are recovering from knee surgery while Johnston has been dealing with a nagging back issue. Bombito and Osorio are dealing with wrist and shoulder injuries, respectively.

Marsch says while Bombito won't be available for Gold Cup, Osorio and Johnston will be. Portland defender is also expected to be part of the Gold Cup roster.

While Marsch has called in 23 players for the Canadian Shield, his Gold Cup roster will number 26 with a third goalkeeper included. He said the plan is to include vice-captain Stephen Eustaquio in the Gold Cup squad despite that fact that his club Porto is in the FIFA Club World Cup, held at the same time, so he could rejoin Canada later in the tournament.

Marsch's Shield roster includes 19 players from the CONCACAF Nations League Finals squad in March. That group includes defender Zorhan Bassong, who had filled in for the injured Richie Laryea. This time, both are named to the squad.

Forwards Promise David and Daniel Jebbison, who both committed to Canada prior to joining the team for the Nations League finale, are also back.

Additions this time are Vancouver Whitecaps defender Sam Adekugbe and winger Jayden Nelson, Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles and CF Montreal midfielder Nathan Saliba.

The Canadian men will prepare for the tournament in camp in Halifax with Nashville SC winger Jacob Shaffelburg, a Nova Scotia native, likely the centre of attention.

The Canada squad features 12 MLS players, including three each from Vancouver and Montreal and two from Toronto.

Marsch noted that his team has just six international windows before the World Cup opens in June 2026.

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Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).

Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Zorhan Bassong, Sporting Kansas City (MLS); Derek Cornelius, Olympique de Marseille (France); Luc de Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Lebel (Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City, England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) Tajon Buchanan from (Villarreal CF, Spain, on loan from Inter Milan, Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Ismaël Kone (Stade Rennais, on loan from Olympique de Marseille, France); Jayden Nelson, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia). 

Forwards: Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Promise David, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium); Daniel Jebbison, AFC Bournemouth (England); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

Training Players

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS).

Forward: Gabriele Biancheri, Manchester United academy (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.