Old Trafford youngster is the man who could be king.
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As David Moyes surveys the damage following another disastrous defeat and yet another battering at the hands of the baying press the Scot can at least bask in the knowledge that he does possess the most exciting young talent in the Premier League. That man being Belgian teenager Adnan Januzaj.
Whilst all around him were losing their heads during a frighteningly inept first hour or so at Stamford Bridge the 18 year old attacker was in a league of his own. In fact I’d even venture as far as to suggest that Januzaj could well have been deserving of the man of the match award despite finishing the encounter on the losing side, such was the invention and spirit provided by the Man United winger.
Whilst a lot has been made of his occasionally penchant for going down too easily, which has of course been leapt upon by the British press, there is no getting away from the huge potential Janzuaj has illustrated since breaking onto the scene this season.
In many ways he has benefited from the sheer ineptitude and lack of ideas displayed by Ashley Young, Nani, and to a lesser extent, Luis Antonio Valencia. Perhaps if Moyes could have depended on any of his other wide attacking options to put in a decent shift then Januzaj may well have been left warming the bench or sent out on loan to garner much needed experience. Instead the former Anderlecht man has been thrown in at the deep end and has not been found wanting.
The Januzaj cocktail appears to be two parts Ryan Giggs and one part Cristiano Ronaldo and it’s a tasty concoction that even opposing fans will have imbibed begrudgingly.
His fleet of foot skills and youthful naivety have been in marked contrast to many of his Man United team-mates who have, on the whole, shown little quality and even less heart in what has proven a hugely challenging campaign.
It is in this environment that Januzaj has shone, imagine how much he would grow and develop if his team-mates were on the same wavelength, it’s a thought that must have crossed David Moyes’s mind and the former Everton manager will do well to use the starlet attacker as much as possible this term and hope that some his enthusiasm rubs off on his team-mates.
There may have been a fear following Januzaj’s two goal bonanza in his full debut at Sunderland could be another false dawn, in a similar manner to that which befell Federico Macheda following his famous winner against Aston Villa, but there is no doubting that the Brussels born flair player is the real deal.
Januzaj could yet prove to be ‘Man United’s Messi’ and it’s David Moyes’s job to make sure he provides the top level stage from which he can perform because the youngster may well be the man who can help him keep his job.
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