With speculation growing that Manchester United could steal a march on rivals Liverpool for the signing of Memphis Depay by offering Adnan Januzaj on loan in return, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the bigger deal and forget about the future of another outstanding young talent.
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Hailed as one of the most exciting youngsters in the world after making his breakthrough at Old Trafford last season, there’s no doubt Januzaj has really gone backwards since, and has failed to break past the big names brought in by Louis van Gaal into the starting lineup on a more regular basis.
So often we see young talent get caught up in their own rise to fame, and it has been hinted by van Gaal this season that Januzaj has simply not done enough in training to warrant getting into the team, almost as if he has given up on trying to win over the Dutchman, feeling that he has done enough already to be a key player for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
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Quite simply, it doesn’t work like that, and the Belgian international would be well advised to accept this move to PSV if there is any truth to the rumour.
There’s no question that playing in the Eredivisie would be a considerable step down, but it is only temporary and may be exactly what the 20-year-old needs to properly continue his development, playing out of the spotlight in a league that doesn’t attract too much hype and won’t build him up as the next Lionel Messi even if he does impress.
Of course, the arrival of Depay could be immediately detrimental to Januzaj as well as it provides even more competition, but not so long ago no one had heard of the Dutchman, while the Red Devils starlet was quickly becoming one of the biggest names in Europe; one strong season in the Eredivisie could provide another top prospect with the platform he needs to really showcase his ability and fulfill his potential.