-James Adams
On a cold night in Sunderland, Adnan Januzaj made his first ever competitive start and announced himself to the Manchester United support with two fantastic goals in a 2-1 comeback win on 5th October, 2013.
What has happened since?
For fear of losing him in the summer for next to nothing, Manchester United signed Januzaj on a new five-year contract in October 2013 – he featured rather regularly in the Manchester United jersey and was even nominated for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
In that same year, Januzaj featured 15 times for Manchester United, scoring 4 goals and registering 3 assists. At that point, it appeared he was developing rather smoothly.
At the beginning of the 2014/15 season, Januzaj was handed the number 11 shirt (previously worn by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs). However, despite great expectations to deliver, Januzaj failed to register a single goal or assist in 850 minutes of the Barclays Premier League action for Manchester United. This sparked growing concerns that he was getting bullied off the ball far too easily.
At the start of the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season, it was evident that fitness was something Januzaj had been working on. His upper body strength had improved significantly. Januzaj scored the winner against Aston Villa earlier this season and started a couple of games in a row at the number 10 position.
Despite some signs of improvement, Januzaj went on a season-long loan to Borussia Dortmund. This leads to the questions: What is happening at Borussia Dortmund? What does the future hold for Adnan Januzaj?
At present, it seems things are not progressing exactly well with Januzaj at Dortmund (notwithstanding some decent performances in the UEFA Europa league).
Januzaj displayed some of his best performances in the number 10 position, securing a match rating of 6.95 in this position. (WhoScored). However, with numerous attacking options at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal, Januzaj has struggled to clinch a start and does not appear to be an entirely great fit for Borrusia Dortmund's system.
Januzaj has not been known for his movement off the ball (something worth noting in Tuchel’s philosophy). This has sparked debates that a return to Manchester United might be highly possible despite several months left on his loan deal.
Reports in Germany have claimed that Januzaj's pace is moderate, coupled with Louis van Gaal’s call for fast-attacking football, questions on Januzaj's possibility in featuring next season for Manchester United have started to surface. In conclusion, I feel the answer depends on whether Januzaj can add more defensive qualities to his game. It is without a doubt that he possesses talent, it just remains to be seen if he fits in with Louis van Gaal's philosophy.
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