Remember this moment? Manchester United fans certainly do. A club with an excellent youth record unleashing yet another promising talent. However, Adnan Januzaj was not just any promising talent. He was a prodigious one. Joining Manchester United’s academy at the age of 16 from Anderlecht, Januzaj’s journey to the first team was not straightforward. While his performances may not have always shone through, his mentality did. A mentality bred into him by a father determined to give his son the best chance possible of success.
As Adnan developed, he began to gain a presence that would become harder to ignore. His performances in reserves & academy became more consistent. Whether he scored, did not really matter. His approach to the game made you feel his presence throughout the game. It was through this part of Januzaj’s journey where his response to adversity was recognized by the coaching staff and plans were made to integrate him more with the first team. In Sir Alex Ferguson’s final match as United manager, Januzaj made the squad. While he did not set foot on the pitch, it was an indication of how he was viewed at the club and what lay ahead for him.
If you have seen The Hobbit films, then you are familiar with The Arkenstone. This was a highly treasured gem described as emitting “ten thousand sparks of white radiance shot with glints of the rainbow. To David Moyes, Adnan Januzaj was his Arkenstone. We knew this to be true, not only because Januzaj gained 37 appearances, 4 goals & 3 assists under Moyes, but also because Januzaj was in tears when the club sacked Moyes. We learned several different qualities about Januzaj’s game from his first season:
- Quick thinker on the ball
- Good spatial awareness, helpful in maintaining possession
- Adept use of body to shield the ball and ghost past opponents
- Playing short diagonal passes from wide areas into the opponents’ box
- Good vision and passing weight in the attacking third
- Comfortable in tight spaces making him fancy himself in 1 v 1 encounters.
In the season gone by, the world was Adnan Januzaj’s oyster. Having signed a long-term deal with the club, it became evident with each passing game that he was heavily valued by his manager & teammates and this benefit allowed for him to be used in such a way so as his talents blossom. While his teammates seemed fazed by the overwhelming pressures surrounding the club, Adnan just kept on gliding past his opponents. A beacon of light the team looked to when the match was seemingly spinning out of control.
Yet when Moyes was sacked, it was as if Adnan’s innocence as a footballer vanished also. No longer was his place in the team as certain as before. Like everyone else, he was entering into an abyss, a dark hall with seemingly no end in sight and no light to guide one’s path. Therefore, when Louis van Gaal was appointed, it was as if Januzaj’s career had been reset to when he first joined the club. Where he would have to prove himself and his worth to the team all over again. While the fresh start under van Gaal gave some players a new lease of life, it proved to be an uphill battle for the Belgian starlet. The rawer aspects of his ability came to the fore showing where he needed to improve. He was not attacking or moving with the same freedom or verve, which he regularly showed under Moyes. Like his teammates, he was also adjusting to van Gaal’s demands where players are challenged to be defensively mindful whilst attacking.
For a 19 year old (now 20), this can prove to be a daunting task and it showed in his early performances under van Gaal. Januzaj was hesitant in his decision making, less confident in 1v1 encounters, and sometimes found himself being disharmonious with the rest of his teammates. It got to the point where media reports hinted Adnan’s time under Moyes and his integration into the Belgian World Cup team overly boosted his ego, meaning his behavior was not in line and he needed to be brought down a peg and be reminded of where he is at in his career. For a teenager, however, these sort of instances are normal. Which is why it is important to have the right type of guidance alongside a player to help them grow and mature, on and off the pitch. In fact, it has even been reported van Gaal purposely left Januzaj out of games to test his attitude and how responded to being left out.
If there is one thing we know about the boy from Belgium, it is his unfazed mentality. A mentality that initially got his performances recognised by Sir Alex’s staff and is now demonstrating to his current manager that he deserves to be more involved. We can see a semblance of his mentality when he spoke to MUTV after his performance against Leicester City
I was tired and had cramp in the last 15 minutes, but I knew I had a job to do. ~ Januzaj speaking to MUTV
Followed by Van Gaal’s comments
“I look at players every day, I observe and I communicate with my players what I want. At the moment I think ‘okay, he is now ready to play’ then maybe I can let them play.
“Like Januzaj. I have to compare him with Mata because the next press conference you shall ask ‘Why? Why? Mata is not playing?’ I have to choose and now I choose Januzaj.”
Consistency is not a trait associated with young talents, yet players such as Januzaj are expected to perform as a seasoned pro. So much so, fans can easily forget he is just 20 years old with much more ahead of him. Yes, he will continue to make mistakes and frustrating decisions in attacking moves. Nevertheless, we also know he is a player who can excite and can make significant contributions to the team. Let us not forget one year ago, top teams in Europe were like vultures circling around Januzaj’s contract situation until he signed a new deal with Manchester United. We have a special talent in our ranks, so let us enjoy him for the beautiful player he is. The type of player who can make the lame walk and the blind see. Because he has that ability to set us free.
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