It feels a long time since Januzaj appeared the natural successor to Ryan Giggs’ famous number 11 shirt at Old Trafford.
The general manager of Belgian giants Anderlecht says he is not surprised to see the club’s former youth star Adnan Januzaj fall off the radar, according to TEAMtalk.
Three years after exploding into Manchester United’s first team with a series of dazzling performances, including two brilliantly executed goals in a comeback win against Sunderland early in David Moyes’ reign, the 21-year-old now finds himself reunited with the Scotsman on Wearside after falling out of favour at his parent club.
United boss Jose Mourinho would have hoped a temporary stint away from the limelight of Old Trafford would allow Januzaj to demonstrate the striking quality that saw him fast-tracked into the first-team but, as it stands, the Belgian has failed to impress in any of his five Premier League starts with the Black Cats.
In fact, his most notable contribution was a needless red card against Tottenham Hotspur which ruined any chances Sunderland may have harboured of getting anything out of a tight encounter at White Hart Lane.
And the general manager of Anderlecht, where Januzaj spent six years before moving to Manchester at the age of 16, has admitted that the winger’s plight comes as no surprise, with many of the club’s one-time prodigies finding themselves in a similar situation.
“By letting them go, we want to show younger players that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere,” Herman Van Holsbeeck told Sport/Foot Magazine, as reported by TEAMtalk.
“Is Iseka Batshuayi playing at Marseille? Charly Musonda [contracted to Chelsea], is he playing at Real Betis? Januzaj, same thing.”
With Jose Mourinho boasting a less than impressive record with regards to giving young players the space to develop in first-team surroundings, it appears that Januzaj’s Manchester United career is over before it ever truly began.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
