Januzaj joined the Black Cats on a season-long loan this summer.
Former Sunderland star Marco Gabbiadini has told the club’s official website that David Moyes and supporters will need to be patient with Adnan Januzaj but suggested that they should look to build their team around the on-loan winger.
Moyes made the move to reunite with his former Manchester United prodigy Januzaj this summer, signing the Belgian on a season-long loan from Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old has largely impressed during the early weeks of his time on Wearside, scoring a stunning goal for the club in the EFL Cup against Shrewsbury before beginning to shine with more game time in the Premier League.
However, the Belgian can also often be the target of supporters’ frustrations as his penchant for taking on defenders can result in attacks breaking down.
Gabbiadini, who spent four years at Sunderland in the late 1980s and early 1990s, acknowledges this side of his game but insisted to the club’s website that Januzaj should be a key man for the club this term.
The 48-year-old said: “We all remember those two goals Januzaj scored at the Stadium of Light [for United in 2013]. He’s an incredibility exciting player and we’ve already seen glimpses of what he can do particularly against Southampton, but he’s still a young player so sometimes he will make you want to throw your pie on the floor.
“More often than not, though, he will have you on the edge of your seat and jumping in the air. Like Duncan Watmore, he risks the ball at times and is very direct but it’s that directness which makes him such a threat.
“You have to build a team which allows players like Januzaj to take their chances and if we can get him playing well, alongside the ace that is Jermain Defoe, I think it will be an exciting year.”
With the likes of Januzaj and Wahbi Khazri playing attacking midfield roles, Sunderland should certainly have the opportunity for a lot more creativity than they had 12 months ago.
How well they ultimately fare in their battle to steer clear of a relegation battle remains to be seen, however.
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