Adnan Januzaj has proven to be one of the bright names from the Manchester United youth academy since the days of David Beckham and Paul Scholes. The Belgian international may have joined the youth academy at Manchester only a few years ago, but there is undoubtedly a feeling that he is a home-grown player. Last season, the 18-year-old broke through into the United team and was a major influence. In fact, many would go as far as saying that the emergence of Januzaj was the only bright aspect of last season when they finished seventh in the table under David Moyes’ regime.
Aged just 19 years old, it was highly expected that the winger would kick on and become the next Ryan Giggs or David Beckham. Such expectations have not been realised in the opening weeks of the campaign after Januzaj has struggled to feature regularly for United. New manager Louis van Gaal has altered the system at United to a 3-5-2 formation. Even though the club are yet to play in a fluid manner, one would expect Januzaj to feature at some point in matches given his impact last season. However, this change information coupled with a raft of new signings like Angel di Maria and Luke Shaw who compete in his position have resulted in him making only four appearances, largely as a substitute, so far.
“Unfortunately, with the embarrassment of riches Manchester United have at the moment, he’s not first choice. He’s still young though and is learning the game. He needs games to bring out his potential. Last season was very poor for United, but he was probably the one shining light in a team which didn’t perform,” said Former Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie about the predicament faced by Januzaj. He fears that the Belgian may decide to leave Old Trafford if the situation persists.