Why Adnan Januzaj failed to fulfil his potential at Manchester United

Adnan Januzaj has never been short of admirers. Sir Alex Ferguson named the Belgian on the bench for his final game as Manchester United manager, and called Januzaj a “beautifully balanced player”.

In October 2013, after a brace against Sunderland, David Moyes also waxed lyrical about the youngster’s potential, and a room full of curious journalists questioned whether the then teenager could one day represent England. “This is a boy of 18 years old, this isn’t a boy who is even 20 or 21,” Moyes said of Januzaj. “This is a boy who, when I came in, everybody told me about.”

A little under four years on that same player leaves English football with a diminished reputation, and a thousand questions still surrounding his mercurial talent.

Although the match at the Stadium of Light was not Januzaj’s Premier League debut, it was certainly his launching pad. “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.”

Within that 90 minutes though was a microcosm for the protean nature of Januzaj’s game. Seven minutes before the first of his two goals, he was booked for a blatant dive.

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Yet, in the excitement of his brilliance, this moment was lost, ignored even. It would not be the last time Januzaj was accused of simulation, and by March 2015, he had as many yellow cards for diving as he did goals for Man United, much to the delight of headline writers.

By that stage, Louis van Gaal was manager at Old Trafford, and while the Dutch tactician was willing to give Januzaj a chance, he eventually delivered some home truths in public. “The characteristic of a young player is he is not consistent,” Van Gaal said. “He has to show that.”

A less than successful loan spell to Borussia Dortmund gave further light to the youngster’s shortcomings. “It is a pity he did not show the desire and attitude you need to progress at his age,” Thomas 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.”

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His time in the Bundesliga was brief, and by January, with just 3 starts and 12 games under his belt, he returned to Manchester. Like so many promising youngsters that veer from the path of success, Januzaj spoke with an air of determination.

“For two years, I didn’t have many chances to play,” he said. “I will work hard to show they were wrong over the past few years.”

By now, his star had certainly dimmed, and a reunion with Moyes at Sunderland seemed a last chance for his United career, despite public claims from Jose Mourinho that he featured in his plans. Unfortunately for Black Cats fans they did not see the player that dazzled them in 2013, rather the personification of why hype can be a dangerous thing in football.

“I’ve said to Adnan, you need to stop blaming everyone else for what’s gone wrong,” Moyes said in August last year. “This loan’s a little bit of a risk. I’ve told Adnan to look at himself and realise that it’s down to him to change it; it can’t always be the manager’s fault or the coach’s fault that he hasn’t progressed. Adnan’s got to ask has he prepared right, has he got himself in the best condition, has he trained well enough? And, when he’s got his opportunity, has he played well enough? In a lot of cases the answer has to be ‘no’.”

Amazingly, Januzaj had a better dribbling success percentage last season at Sunderland than during his breakthrough campaign in 2013/2014. However, last season he often meandered down blind alleys and took on one too many opponents before giving up the ball. The Red Devils hoped his loan would strengthen him in the say way it had for Jonny Evans in 2006 but it had the opposite effect.

Mired in a relegation battle, too often Januzaj disappeared inside himself, and drifted out of games. The inconsistency which Van Gaal had so publicly pointed out was present again, and the optimism among Sunderland fans quickly shifted to apathy. Even their chant for him, sung to the tune of the Stone Roses ‘Made of Stone’ disappeared — his final outing, a 5-1 demolition by Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Unlike other promise-filled wingers that thrived at Old Trafford, like Ryan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo, the Belgian seems lacking in the discipline or character to maintain his brilliance. The fleeting moments of skill are rendered useless without the discipline to train and hone that ability, and eventually they just become fodder for misleading highlight compilations.

Speaking recently, Nicky Butt alluded to a mentality issue hampering Januzaj. “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,” Butt told The Times.

It seems sadly poetic that Januzaj’s career in England was ignited against Sunderland, and extinguished with them, no goals and three assists, the product of a season on Wearside.

A player now sitting on the precipice with his move to Real Sociedad, if Januzaj does tread the path of lost potential, his career will be as much a warning on the dangers of hype, as it is the frustration of squandered potential.