Thursday 13 July 2017 10:57, UK
As Adnan Januzaj leaves leaves Manchester United to join Real Sociedad, James Walker-Roberts looks back on his time in the Premier League and asks if, and how, he can return to the top...
Sir Alex Ferguson labelled him "a beautifully balanced player". David Moyes called him an "an outstanding talent". Louis van Gaal believed he had what it takes to make it in the Premier League, while Jose Mourinho claimed he figured in his plans.
Four Manchester United managers; four messages of support. So why is Adnan Januzaj now leaving Old Trafford to join Real Sociedad?
It has been six years since Januzaj signed for United from Anderlecht as a 16-year-old. By 2013 he had been named reserve team player of the year and promoted to the senior side. "He has good balance, good acceleration and he's a very good technical player," boss Ferguson told Inside United.
Januzaj was even the last new name on a Ferguson team sheet, after being selected among the substitutes for the famous 5-5 draw against West Brom on the final day of the 2012/13 season.
While Ferguson might have nurtured Januzaj, it was Moyes who gave him what appeared to be his breakout year in 2013/14. Aged just 18, he made headlines with his double on his full Premier League debut against Sunderland and, after starting 19 games in all competitions and 27 top-flight appearances there was even talk of England laying claim to the services of the Belgian born to Albanian-Kosovar parents.
Whichever country he picked - it would eventually be Belgium - his future appeared bright. "I've given a few players their Premier League debuts - Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley - and this lad is certainly the level of those boys," said Moyes. "He wouldn't be amiss in any team."
But Januzaj's career at Old Trafford stalled the following season under Van Gaal. The big-money arrival of Angel Di Maria played a part in Januzaj falling down the pecking order, as did Van Gaal's tactical alterations and the Dutchman's desire for reliable performers in his team. "The characteristic of a young player is he is not consistent. He has to show that," said the manager of the then 20-year-old.
A start and a goal on the opening day of the 2015/16 season suggested a promising Premier League campaign lay ahead, but that was short lived as Januzaj was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund. He didn't start a Bundesliga game there and the loan was cut short in January, with Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel left far from impressed with Januzaj's commitment.
"It is a pity he did not show the desire and attitude you need to progress at his age," Tuchel told Bild. "My feeling was that he never was completely with us, that a part of him always stayed in Manchester and he compared everything here with United."
Van Gaal said he still believed in Januzaj's talent when he returned from Dortmund, yet he played just 17 minutes for the rest of the season.
Another change in manager at Old Trafford appeared to offer hope, even though Mourinho sent Januzaj out on a season-long loan to Sunderland. "He fits in my plans," said the Portuguese. "That is why he is on loan at a Premier League club. If he doesn't fit in my plans, I don't care where he goes… Hopefully, everything goes all right because we want him back."
The move to Sunderland gave Januzaj the chance to reunite with Moyes and it was also a chance, he said, to "prove some people that they were wrong".
"For two years, I didn't have many chances to play…I will work hard to show they were wrong over the past few years," he added.
Upon his departure from Manchester United, there was a telling assessment from the club's head of academy Nicky Butt. "He's got the level to play for United and win leagues and Champions Leagues. Maybe he's not been as dedicated, a case of too much too soon, a millionaire now," former United midfielder Butt told The Times.
And things did not pan out as planned for Januzaj at the Stadium of Light. With Sunderland battling relegation throughout the season, he was an inconsistent performer, only showing flashes of his talent, such as in the shock 4-0 win at Crystal Palace in February. Otherwise, there was criticism from fans, including jeering during a defeat to Watford, and Januzaj having to stress he did care about the club's plight in the Premier League.
So what does the future hold for Januzaj? As he pointed out during his season at Sunderland, he is still young, with his 23rd birthday not until next February - "People think I am 26 or 27".
He also thinks the time in the north east was beneficial. "I have learned a lot here and it will make me stronger," he said. "I feel much fitter and I am happy and we will see what happens."
Perhaps, as Januzaj looks to relaunch his career in Spain, the words of former Manchester United reserve team manager Warren Joyce might prove the most instructive in helping him avoid the downhill path of former United starlets, such as Federico Macheda.
"The frustrating thing is seeing ones like Januzaj, [James] Wilson or Federico Macheda get up to that level and stop doing the work they did to get them to that level," said Joyce. "Not play the games, not train as hard, sit in jacuzzis and not do the same weights and sessions they did to get there. Those are the frustrating ones for me, because that could be avoided.
"You're in football for sport, to be competitive and try to do your best and challenge yourself, so those things are on the periphery. You either want to be in a boyband in a pop star environment, or a footballer."
Januzaj's fresh start presents him with an opportunity to get back on track. Now it's down to him to take it.
