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Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj is Lost on Loan

By Rucker Haringey

Jul 21, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; A fan runs onto the field and shakes hands with Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj (11) after the game against the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium. Manchester United defeated San Jose Earthquakes 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; A fan runs onto the field and shakes hands with Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj (11) after the game against the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium. Manchester United defeated San Jose Earthquakes 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Some Manchester United fans were more than a little upset when the club shipped winger Adnan Januzaj on loan to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. After all, the Belgian attacker did score a game winner for United versus Aston Villa before being sent abroad. Unfortunately for United, after just under two months away Adnan Januzaj seems completely lost.

His loan at Dortmund is off to a pretty poor beginning. He’s only managed to start twice for the Bundesliga’s 2nd place club and he’s only tallied one assist on the young season. You can bet when United sent him out on loan they were hoping he’d be able to crack Dortmund’s starting 11. So far, he is nowhere close.

It’s hard to imagine him beating out any of their attacking midfielders. The trio of Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have been fantastic on the year and have kept Januzaj firmly planted on the bench.

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Ironically, if he had been kept at United he likely would have seen just as much playing time if not more. The Reds are short of pace on the wing and Memphis Depay has been a colossal disappointment. Januzaj likely would be in line for at least a spot start or two while Depay tries to work his way back into form. He could have stayed at United, been trained in Louis Van Gaal’s system and played more.

Instead he is at Dortmund struggling to find his place. His lack of playing time is enough reason to worry about the mental well-being of their prospect, but they have even more reason to be concerned. Januzaj has managed to find himself in a conflict with the Belgian national team as well.

Under-21 Belgian coach Enzo Scifo publicly criticized Januzaj this week after the youngster declined a call-up to his side for a European Championship qualifier against the Czech Republic. Scifo publicly questioned the motivation of the 20-year old after his decision became public going on to say it reflected on Januzaj’s “poor state of mind.”

Januzaj, in the interest of fairness, replied through his agent that he turned down the call-up so he could work to secure his place at Dortmund. A worthy goal but a flimsy excuse given the current circumstances surrounding the player.

While it’s too early to give up on a 20-year old with such prodigious talent, Manchester United should be very concerned with the warning signs surrounding their starlet. It could be a blip on the way to international stardom, but it seems a lot like the early signs of a career’s unraveling. One thing is for certain, Adnan Januzaj is lost out on loan.

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