Louis van Gaal. That’s always the simple answer of Adnan Januzaj when asked about the main reason why he failed at Manchester United. It is true that the now 26-year-old ‘child prodigy’ under his leadership did not come to the fore at Old Trafford, but also rental periods at Borussia Dortmund and Southampton did not bring him what he was looking for. Only at Real Sociedad, United’s opponent in the Europa League on Thursday, he managed to regain some of his old shine in the past three years. A portrait of the Belgian who would love to be right against his old love.
By Thijs Verhaar
It is October 5, 2013. Manchester United are playing an away game against Sunderland. Everyone feels that the result can be crucial for the future of trainer David Moyes. When entering the Stadium of Light, he already mutters a small prayer. Please let it go today. The legacy of its predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson weighs like a heavy burden on his shoulders and the results are not satisfactory. The fans are already crying for his head, even though he has only been on the road for two months. Moyes needs a miracle and that miracle turns out to be the name of Adnan Januzaj.
The young Belgian was brought into the match selection for the first time in the last match of Ferguson the season before, as a kind of free tip for his successor. Here, you need this boy. And oh, what does Moyes Januzaj need that day against Sunderland. On his debut in the starting eleven, eighteen-year-old Januzaj immediately scored two goals and for a moment Moyes’ pleas seem enough to turn the tide. United wins 1-2. The trainer is euphoric and showers his rescue angel with compliments. “I would be surprised if there are club legends who impressed even more on day 1 than he did. It wasn’t just the goals, but his entire game. He will be a very, very big one ”, predicts the coach about Januzaj, who was taken over from Anderlecht at the age of sixteen.
The rise of the young talent turns out to be enough to keep Moyes in the saddle for a while, but six months later he still ends up on the street. An experience richer and an illusion less, as it is so beautifully called. Januzaj plays no fewer than 35 matches under his leadership and is placed on the same level by club leaders as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs. A natural talent, people rejoice. Robin van Persie, for example, says he sees something of himself in Januzaj. His ball control, rock-hard shots and inimitable dribbles suggest a glorious future awaits him. “Adnan is, together with Rooney, the best young player I’ve ever worked with”, Moyes emphasizes after his dismissal. “He passes opponents so easily. When I see him running with a ball, I see something of Johan Cruijff in it. ”
However, the question is to what extent Moyes is doing him a favor with such statements, because Januzaj does not manage to live up to the high expectations after the departure of his coach. And that while he has just signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford. Everyone expects him to cash in on his status as top talent under Moyes’ successor Louis van Gaal. After all, he is known for recognizing and improving young talent. No problem for Januzaj, who feels almost invincible at the time and regularly expresses this in the media. He has just had a strong debut season, has taken over number 11 from Ryan Giggs and is being raised worldwide as the man who must ensure the future of United.
You just have to get the chance to show it, and Januzaj says he never got it under Van Gaal. In the first year under the Dutchman, he is indeed only eight times a basic player. Eight times, while he was really a year older and more mature than in his successful year under Moyes. Januzaj no longer accepts it. The coach simply does not believe in him, he feels everything. Van Gaal breaks him mentally by opting for his position rather for experienced men like Juan Mata. Van Gaal ignores him – the great talent. What, coach who gives young players the chance? The Belgian asks the club management to sell him and is told that only a loan is possible. A nice rental period, by the way, because at Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund young players are developing cometically fast.
Januzaj not. With the Germans, he only makes twelve performances in the first half of the season, in which he hardly impresses. In fact, it is so unsuccessful that United decides to end the loan early. “It is a pity that he does not show the absolute will and commitment that is needed at his age to make progress,” Tuchel says mercilessly. Sport Bild. “In my opinion, his head was never completely with us. In his mind, he was still a bit in Manchester, as he compared everything here to United. We have not been able to change that ”, sips the coach, who then looks at how Januzaj is allowed to come in from Van Gaal a few more times in the remainder of the 2015/16 season at Manchester United.
The Belgian winger, however, once again does not fully convince his coach, just as he did not succeed in his successor José Mourinho in the preparation after the summer. Another person who does not give him a chance, Januzaj is disappointed. What do you do if your club doesn’t believe in you and a foreign adventure has just failed? Januzaj could use a boost and that boost turns out to listen to the name David Moyes, as it had been the other way around years before. The trainer is at the helm at Sunderland at the time, giving Januzaj a chance to stand out in the Premier League again. Not so. Januzaj plays 29 times, but is sometimes even hissed at by the home supporters. His two goals and three assists are considered inadequate for someone with so much talent.
Worse than those flute concerts are the words of trainer Moyes. He too is fed up with the then 23-year-old Januzaj always pointing to others when things are not going well and makes that clear in no uncertain terms. “I told Adnan to stop blaming others for everything. It cannot always be someone else’s fault if you do not make progress yourself ”, said the coach about the twelve-time Belgian international. “Adnan should ask himself if he has prepared himself well enough. Did he do everything to be in top condition? Did he put in enough work on the training? And does he do enough when he gets the chance to show himself in competitions? In many cases the answer is no. ”
Januzaj systematically denies the allegations about his institution, but it does seem to have been the reason why United agreed to a definitive transfer to Real Sociedad in 2017. He has found his place there for the past four years. Januzaj is not always a basic player this season, but does show his class regularly. In 109 appearances he was already good for 16 goals and 16 assists in Spanish service. In addition, he regularly spoils the supporters with the inimitable dribbles that impressed him so much during his early days at Manchester United. He even returned to the Belgian national team in recent years in Spanish service and can look forward to another return this week.
On Thursday, the now 26-year-old wing attacker will face ‘his’ Manchester United in the sixteenth final of the Europa League. He can play against the club that is still in his heart. The away game was lost 0-4, so chances of survival are nil. So it is mainly about rehabilitation at Januzaj, who is looking forward to returning to Old Trafford after all these years. “I am very happy to play against my beloved club. It will not be my friends alone on the field, because I now play for a different team ”, he reported the day before the first meeting last week to the international branch of ESPN. “I don’t feel like I need to prove to anyone how good I am. I just have to have faith in myself, make sure I get playing time and be happy. ”
With that last comment he touches a nerve with many United fans. It remains a shame that after Moyes’ departure he has never been really happy at United again. “My biggest disappointment at this club is how Adnan Januzaj has fared,” said former player Nicky Butt in 2019. The current head of the youth academy is of the opinion that the Belgian is the most gifted player he has ever played with. field. “Maybe with the exception of Ryan Giggs, but Adnan was incredible. I was sure he was going to be a world star. He did not succeed, but he still plays at a high level and can have a good career ”, says Butt. “I’m sure he’s a millionaire and doesn’t have to worry about the bills falling on the doormat. He is granted that. But I still think he should have been a superstar now. ”
Is it really all Van Gaal’s fault that things have turned out differently for Januzaj so far? The Belgian thinks so and lashed out at the retired coach this week. “He was always angry with me, even with a bad pass he started calling out to me. And that not only with me, but also with other young boys such as Memphis Depay ”, Januzaj grumbled ESPN. Januzaj simply did not feel supported by Van Gaal, who then opposite The Athletic did not indicate the need to “defend oneself against so much injustice.” “The self-image of the player leaves a lot to be desired”, the trainer concluded, who thus comes to the same conclusion as Thomas Tuchel and David Moyes. Yet they also agree that Januzaj has enough talent and as a 26-year-old still has time to prove himself. Perhaps Manchester United can still offer the kickstart he dreamed of as an eighteen-year-old.