Januzaj must start again... and grow up!
Belgian too cocky for his own good
DURING Belgium’s 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil, Adnan Januzaj soon found himself in lumber with some of his senior colleagues.
‘He had a habit of pushing the ball through players’ legs in training,’ revealed a source in Belgium yesterday. ‘He kept nutmegging them and they really didn’t like it.
‘Before long, Adnan was taken to one side by one of the coaches and it was suggested to him that if he wanted to have any allies in the squad then maybe he should stop.’
Less than two years on and the impetuous, rather confident Januzaj has greater problems to worry about than the bruised and sensitive egos of some of Belgium’s best players.
With Euro 2016 looming in France this summer and Belgium the world’s top team in FIFA’s rankings, it is highly unlikely the young forward will even be in Marc Wilmots’ squad.
Now back at Manchester United after a season-long loan to Borussia Dortmund was cut short, Januzaj is a young footballer who has totally lost his way.
Despite the happiness felt by some United fans at the return of a talented footballer, Januzaj has not been recalled by Louis van Gaal because the manager wants to put him in his team.
He has come back simply because he asked to, because four months in the Bundesliga have not brought him a single league start and he clearly saw no way of that changing.
Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said last night: ‘It was the wish of Adnan to go back. The loan wasn’t a good deal for both sides all in all.’
Januzaj had been telling family since November that he may be on his way back to Manchester, which would suggest he had already decided life at Dortmund was not for him.
Perhaps we should not be surprised. For, while there has never been any doubt about the 20-year-old’s ability, there have been question marks over his willingness to apply himself.
Van Gaal, it is understood, thinks that Januzaj lacks mental toughness and the discipline
to adhere to team strategies. Anyone who has seen the way United play these days will not be surprised that Van Gaal does not see him as a natural fit. In Belgium too, they unfortunately view things the same way.
Januzaj has only played one minute for his country since the end of the World Cup and didn’t endear himself to anybody by deciding not to accept an invitation to join the Under 21 squad two months ago. Under 21 coach and Belgian legend Enzo Scifo spent half an hour talking to the player on the phone, but his subsequent comments hinted only at exasperation. ‘He did not exactly refuse but we were not under the impression he wanted to come,’ said Scifo. ‘If that’s the case it’s better not to come. A phone call like that is a present, not a punishment. Adnan Januzaj has a bad mentality.’ Januzaj’s agent responded, saying his client had decided to stay with Dortmund to work on fitness. ‘It takes six months to find match rhythm,’ said Dirk Devriese. Now that particular search has been abandoned in Germany it is time to look at the context of Januzaj’s downturn in fortunes.
It is only two seasons ago that Januzaj caused such a stir by the manner of his play under David Moyes that he had three or four different countries vying for his international allegiance. Even Roy Hodgson’s England were involved in the tussle.
Back then, during a season that saw him play 35 times as an 18-year-old, Moyes saw Januzaj as a future No 10 and a decent contract was offered and signed.
Even then, however, some of United’s older players were not sure and the suspicion that he thought rather more of himself than he ought had hardened to the extent that United officials were talking about it openly on last summer’s tour of the US.
On his return to Old Trafford, Januzaj will have his friendship with Marouane Fellaini to come back to, at least. Elsewhere, however, Januzaj will learn quickly that he simply has to start again. He is 21 in a month. Maybe it’s time to embrace adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it.