Adnan Januzaj has largely struggled since moving to Sunderland on loan from Manchester United.
Sunderland’s Adnan Januzaj
Adnan Januzaj has admitted that he is aware that Sunderland fans expect more from him following his somewhat disappointing loan spell, but added that his young age is often forgotten about by his critics, the Shields Gazette reports.
The winger joined the Black Cats on loan at the start of the season, having been one of the few successes to emerge from current Sunderland boss David Moyes’ spell as Manchester United boss.
Unfortunately, the revival of their partnership has done little for Sunderland’s fortunes, as they went into the international break bottom of the table with just 10 games to make up the seven point gap separating them from safety.
Januzaj’s form has arguably been one of the reasons why they have struggled, with just three assists and no goals coming from his 20 top flight appearances for the club.
But the playmaker has suggested that too much pressure has been put on his shoulders given his lack of experience, especially in relegation scraps.
“It has been very difficult because it is not easy to go from Man United to Sunderland. I had to just do it, I will learn from it because I am 22,” he said, as reported by the Shields Gazette.
“People think I am 26 or 27, I am only 22. I know people want more from me.
“The other side of it is that they have to look at other parts of my game.
“I have learned a lot here and it will make me stronger.”
While Januzaj has hardly captured the imagination since moving to the Stadium of Light, he is arguably one of the players that Moyes can turn to if he hopes to get the team out of trouble before it is too late.
On his day, the Belgian can be extremely influential and could potentially create the kind of problems for opponents that gives Sunderland a major boost in their fight for survival.
And perhaps in the coming weeks, he will be using the motivation of knowing that many are ready to write him off, if they have not done so already.
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