Adnan Januzaj | 2013/14 Performances

[The Taurean]

The other thread is closed now. Carry on with your discussion here.
EDIT By admin: closed as it was years old

Personal Information
Age: 18 (birthday 5 February)
Country of Birth: Belgium
Position: Winger/Attacking Midfield
PL Debut: 14 September 2013 versus Crystal Palace

Stats
2013-2014: 15 appearances / 3 goals

Last topic of discussion was on his national team preference considering http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...fifa-allows-kosovo-play-international-6503688

Adnan Januzaj has all the makings of a world-class footballer. That much is without question.

However, Manchester United are playing a risky game by using him so frequently at this early stage of his career.
At just 18 years of age, Januzaj flourished during preseason and was one of the bright sparks during United’s gloomy summer months. That he has carried his form into the season is indicative of his footballing maturity.
Such promising displays on United’s left-hand side have got United fans purring, and his five-year contract means that he is likely to be a central figure at Old Trafford over the coming years.
But football is a cruel game and United need to be cautious.
Januzaj must be eased in slowly and not thrown in at the deep end. There is a risk with such a young man that he could burn out physically and mentally if he is relied upon too much.
Let’s explore why modern history tells us that David Moyes must be careful, and how the Scot can get the most out of Januzaj in the long-term.


Too Much Football, Too Soon

​

When young players are exposed to too much, too soon, they tend to suffer later in their careers.
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere is case in point.
He is one of the most naturally gifted English players in the Premier League and yet, he demonstrates his talent all too infrequently. Plagued by injury, he has yet to string together two full seasons of football.

We can also draw parallels from Raheem Sterling’s young career.​

Now on the fringes of the Liverpool team, Sterling was a starter under Brendan Rodgers last year.
But he was played too often and was fatigued, perhaps mentally as much as anything else, before the end of his first full season. This season, he has only started one of Liverpool’s 10 Premier League games.
Could the same happen to Adnan Januzaj? Of course it could.
But when any player is playing well, regardless of their age, it’s difficult to suddenly cut their playing time. And that brings us on nicely to the next point…

The Temptation for David Moyes

Januzaj’s game-winning performance against Sunderland is exactly why David Moyeswill be tempted to keep on playing the youngster.
And you couldn’t begrudge him for it either, could you?
Similarly, he dazzled against Fulham by proving that he can mix it with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The three players each had an assist in the game at Craven Cottage, in what was a blistering start from Moyes’ side.
That triumvirate is an exciting prospect for Manchester United looking ahead.
Moyes must resist temptation, though, by using Januzaj carefully in his first full season. That way, he’ll get the most out of the youngster in the future.


How to Get the Most Out of Adnan Januzaj

David Moyes is tasked with ensuring that Januzaj continues to develop and fulfils his potential at Old Trafford. So, how does he do that?​

Patience, in a word.
Moyes must push Januzaj to progress as he would with any other player; he just needs to temper the growing expectations of United fans by protecting him.
He’s been through this before, of course. After all, Moyes was the one who gave Rooney his first taste of Premier League football at Everton.
Moyes has already spoken of Januzaj’s development, per The Metro, promoting caution:

I’m trying to keep the reins on him. It is a bit like I had with Wayne [Rooney] when he was a young player. I remember I used to get a bit of criticism because we played Wayne on the left a couple of times. You can’t always get the young players right in and when you do, you try to find the right slots for them.​

As United’s fixtures pile-up in the coming months, Moyes will likely turn to Januzaj to play on the left wing.
But that’s not where he sees the youngster playing in the long-term. Moyes added: “In time, Adnan’s best position will be No.10. But while he’s so young, it is better to introduce him on the left or right.”


Looking Ahead


Ultimately, David Moyes faces a paradox. He can continue to play Januzaj and reap the rewards, knowing all the while that he risks the youngster burning out before the season is over.
If we reflect on David Moyes’ managerial career, however, there is reason to believe that he will treat the situation with care.
At Everton, Moyes was in charge of Ross Barkley and avoided exposing the midfield starlet to too much football.
He must use similar restraint with AdnanJanuzaj.
After just 10 Premier Leagues games this season, Januzaj has already demonstrated that he could become a world-beater sooner rather than later.

The challenge for DavidMoyesis to resist overusing the youngster and ensure that he is part of the starting lineup later rather than sooner.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...d-are-playing-a-risky-game-with-adnan-januzaj

Going forward, hope we don't over utilize him this season. Easy to forget he is still developing when we are short of ideas on pitch.

 

[Galactic]

I dont think Moyes wanted to over utilize him. He had to.

 

[Summit]

Over utilize him? I honestly don't get statements like this tbh, as if he is good enough, then he should play. Simple. He will only gain experience by playing and atm he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.

 

[Adebesi]

Janujaz would have been a great name for him too, to be fair. It would encapsulate his unpredictable nature and his free spirit on the football field. Like jazz, he does not conform to rules. He is a freestyler.

 

[Cina]

Over utilize him? I honestly don't get statements like this tbh, as if he is good enough, then he should play. Simple. He will only gain experience by playing and atm he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.

It's more so about looking after his fitness/injuries as a youngster though, he does get battered round the park a bit and he does need to 'bulk up'. Just look at what happened to Wilshere after Arsenal over played him as an 18 year old.

Not sure we are over using Januzaj though, certainly we're still resting him a fair bit.

 

[The Taurean]

Pft, I did this ages ago, but I spelt his name Janujaz so it failed.

Sacrilege.

I dont think Moyes wanted to over utilize him. He had to.

No i get that. I just wish he won't always have to.. or more as a wish the other players step-up.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

He doesn't look tired or burned out so there's no problem. He's going to have the summer off too and a full preseason next year so we should see even more improvement.

 

[Summit]

It's more so about looking after his fitness/injuries as a youngster though, he does get battered round the park a bit and he does need to 'bulk up'. Just look at what happened to Wilshere after Arsenal over played him as an 18 year old.

Not sure we are over using Januzaj though, certainly we're still resting him a fair bit.

Aye, but some people are more injury prone than others. For your example of Wilshere (I'm sure there are a lot of others too), there are other examples at the other end of the spectrum too.

 

[Cina]

Aye, but some people are more injury prone than others. For your example of Wilshere (I'm sure there are a lot of others too), there are other examples at the other end of the spectrum too.

Certainly, but it's still good to exercise caution with him. Arsenal probably had no idea at the time that Wilshere was injury prone, likewise we've no idea if Adnan could be, yet.

I think if we keep playing him once a week we'll be fine. I'd be worried it it goes beyond that.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

You mean Zanzujaz?

 

[Adebesi]

Youd know if you had a kid come through the ranks if he was injury prone, wouldnt you? Youd have some idea?

I guess people can become injury prone, or higher risk, as they grow, Im sure it isnt a static thing throughout childhood. Still, Im sure the youth team coaches would have some idea....

 

[The Taurean]

We have done well in such regard of taking in young players, and Moyes spoke about it when speaking about playing Januzaj early in the season.

 

[Gerald G]

Youd know if you had a kid come through the ranks if he was injury prone, wouldnt you? Youd have some idea?

I guess people can become injury prone, or higher risk, as they grow, Im sure it isnt a static thing throughout childhood. Still, Im sure the youth team coaches would have some idea....

To be fair he missed the majority of his 1st year due to injury. But he hasn't had much problems since then.

But I think Moyes doesn't want to overuse him more due to burnout and Januzaj becoming fatigued. Confident Moyes will manage him well though.

 

[Summit]

Youd know if you had a kid come through the ranks if he was injury prone, wouldnt you? Youd have some idea?

I guess people can become injury prone, or higher risk, as they grow, Im sure it isnt a static thing throughout childhood. Still, Im sure the youth team coaches would have some idea....

Not necessarily mate. When you are young you are still growing, your muscles are forming, tendons joining etc..Problems can occur during this phase which I suppose could impact your career. I get Cina's point about exerting caution in playing him for this reason tbh and I didn't take this into account when answering the OP. I got the sense that the OP meant he didn't want Adnan to play so much in case of burnout, so that was my basis for answering.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

On one hand, I hope he joins Kosovo so he won't ever get burnt out over the Summer from World Cups/Euros

But then, he'll probably become a better player if he plays on a better international stage.

 

[Galactic]

But then, he'll probably become a better player if he plays on a better international stage.

Not true.

 

[Decotron]

Not true.

In terms of experience it obviously will.

It wont improve his technical ability but the more experience a young player gets, especially by being involved in major tournaments is going to benefit him greatly.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

Not true.

Generally I'd say it is. Best is the only player I can think of from a minnow nation that's ever considered among the greats. It's tough from a small country to both get the recognition and surely the experience playing in world cups and regional finals helps players development.

 

[Adebesi]

Generally I'd say it is. Best is the only player I can think of from a minnow nation that's ever considered among the greats. It's tough from a small country to both get the recognition and surely the experience playing in world cups and regional finals helps players development.

And it is always cited as one of the principal reasons Best is not considered even higher in the "legend class" rankings than he is. Perhaps if he had been from a bigger footballing country he would have been thought of alongside the Peles of this world. Who knows.

Its a slightly different point though, one is about ability and the other is about perception.

 

[Alock1]

Generally I'd say it is. Best is the only player I can think of from a minnow nation that's ever considered among the greats. It's tough from a small country to both get the recognition and surely the experience playing in world cups and regional finals helps players development.

I'm not sure he'd have been better for it, but perhaps considered better as a result of more recognition and showcasing his skills at international level too.

You could argue somewhat that modern football offers more access to players playing in foreign leagues that the public is more open to the possibility that a player considered one of the greatest ever might not have to achieve on the international stage. Ronaldo and Messi are indeed from bigger footballing nations and playing in the competitions so receive the extra recognition unlike (probably) Adnan, but they've yet to achieve there and I don't think people hold it against them as much as they might have in the past.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

And it is always cited as one of the principal reasons Best is not considered even higher in the "legend class" rankings than he is. Perhaps if he had been from a bigger footballing country he would have been thought of alongside the Peles of this world. Who knows.

Its a slightly different point though, one is about ability and the other is about perception.

Agreed with all your post. Even if he was English back then think of the international success he and they could have had.

 

[Plugsy]

The Wilshere example isn't relevant as Januzaj isn't being played all the time. He gets games out, rests, etc. He's started 12 games out of 33 this season. He's not exactly being rushed.

 

[Jimy_Hills_Chin]

Cristiano Ronaldo played shit loads of games from the off and Frank Lampard has played 30+ league games since the age of 19 every season. At the end of the day some players are more injury prone than others, it is a biological fact.

Januzaj is not even playing that many games. It is a silly opinion piece.

 

[Keenst]

The whole burned out thing gets mentioned every time a young player starts getting games but is it just an excuse for players who really were never as good as people thought they were iin the first place? Getting games at a young age didn't hurt Messi or Ronaldo and there are plenty more examples too. Wilshere got injuries but no one can prove that's as a result of getting games at a young age and he's still pretty damn good, if he was left to play in the reserves 'till now he'd probably still have gotten as many injuries and wouldn't be as good. Sterling is playing brilliant stuff at the moment. Fit and healthy 18/19 year olds are more than capable of playing plenty of games, if they weren't playing first team they would be playing reserve games etc. every week anyway; if they're going to get injured it will happen regardless.

The only thing I would worry about when it comes to youngsters is that they might be affected mentally and get carried away with their early success or crumble under the pressure of playing at the highest level but I see no signs of that happening with Januzaj.

 

[Salfordlad70]

If Adnan didn't exist then the pressure on Moyes would have reached boiling point by now.Januzaj is keeping the belief of the fans intact, and he is without doubt the future of Manchester United!

 

[Galactic]

Generally I'd say it is. Best is the only player I can think of from a minnow nation that's ever considered among the greats. It's tough from a small country to both get the recognition and surely the experience playing in world cups and regional finals helps players development.

This day and age, club football, especially in the big leagues and european championships, has much more quality than international tournaments. International success does get you recognition and personal experience, but you seldom 'develop' your own game in those tournaments.

 

[Kag]

The whole burned out thing gets mentioned every time a young player starts getting games but is it just an excuse for players who really were never as good as people thought they were iin the first place? Getting games at a young age didn't hurt Messi or Ronaldo and there are plenty more examples too. Wilshere got injuries but no one can prove that's as a result of getting games at a young age and he's still pretty damn good, if he was left to play in the reserves 'till now he'd probably still have gotten as many injuries and wouldn't be as good. Sterling is playing brilliant stuff at the moment. Fit and healthy 18/19 year olds are more than capable of playing plenty of games, if they weren't playing first team they would be playing reserve games etc. every week anyway; if they're going to get injured it will happen regardless.

The only thing I would worry about when it comes to youngsters is that they might be affected mentally and get carried away with their early success or crumble under the pressure of playing at the highest level but I see no signs of that happening with Januzaj.

Good post. I suspect that Wilshere would be picking up injuries regardless of his specific game time. It's just one of those things. As Jimmy rightly points out, Ronaldo and Lampard have played an exceptional amount of football from the ages of 18/19 and they've never suffered. I'm actually of the other way of thinking. The more a player plays, the more their body can adjust to the demands of what's required. I've always suspected that our rotation policy has been the reason for our injuries, as players look to make big impacts when they know this may be their only game in a 3 week period. As long as Adnan feels fit then he should be playing as much as physically possible.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

This day and age, club football, especially in the big leagues and european championships, has much more quality than international tournaments. International success does get you recognition and personal experience, but you seldom 'develop' your own game in those tournaments.

The wolrd cup is still the number one medal for any footballer to have. Yes European football is huge now and that's where the money is and the year to year prestige is but the ability to lift ones game to do it on the world stage is the mark of a true great.

 

[Plugsy]

He'll improve more once he gets exposed more to European competition and vs the bigger sides domestically. He's still got that learning curve to come, really.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Over utilize him? I honestly don't get statements like this tbh, as if he is good enough, then he should play. Simple. He will only gain experience by playing and atm he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.

People who don't understand football writing about football I'm afraid.

 

[Galactic]

The wolrd cup is still the number one medal for any footballer to have. Yes European football is huge now and that's where the money is and the year to year prestige is but the ability to lift ones game to do it on the world stage is the mark of a true great.

Like I said, recognition. Yes. Experience too. But he wont get to develop his game at international level that much. Club coaching and regular big club football will. Try comparing Best and Kleberson.

 

[Irwinwastheking]

Like I said, recognition. Yes. Experience too. But he wont get to develop his game at international level that much. Club coaching and regular big club football will. Try comparing Best and Kleberson.

Ah now, that's a stupid example.

Experience of games at the highest level all add up and if that's international football then that all helps a players development.

 

[londonredmaniac]

Er...Ryan Giggs?

 

[Orton]

Fabregas has played on average like 40 games a season since he was 16/17. Januzaj should be playing every week, as he currently is one of our best players. Simple as that.

 

[Arruda]

Has he ever played for Belgium? Could he be called for the World Cup? I'd guess being a first-team player at United makes it logical that they are considering it at the moment, no?

 

[Count Orduck]

Has he ever played for Belgium? Could he be called for the World Cup? I'd guess being a first-team player at United makes it logical that they are considering it at the moment, no?

He hasn't played for Belgium, and he could be. As far as I'm aware Belgium are courting him but he has no interest in playing for them (or he'd have done so already). Rumours abound it's because he wants to play for Kosovo, as that's where his father is from - and they've just received the go-ahead from FIFA to form their own national team. We could see him declaring very soon.

 

[Arruda]

He hasn't played for Belgium, and he could be. As far as I'm aware Belgium are courting him but he has no interest in playing for them (or he'd have done so already). Rumours abound it's because he wants to play for Kosovo, as that's where his father is from - and they've just received the go-ahead from FIFA to form their own national team. We could see him declaring very soon.

Interesting, didn't know about that. Just read he has a shitload of options to chose from.

 

[MoneyMay]

The whole burned out thing gets mentioned every time a young player starts getting games but is it just an excuse for players who really were never as good as people thought they were iin the first place? Getting games at a young age didn't hurt Messi or Ronaldo and there are plenty more examples too. Wilshere got injuries but no one can prove that's as a result of getting games at a young age and he's still pretty damn good, if he was left to play in the reserves 'till now he'd probably still have gotten as many injuries and wouldn't be as good. Sterling is playing brilliant stuff at the moment. Fit and healthy 18/19 year olds are more than capable of playing plenty of games, if they weren't playing first team they would be playing reserve games etc. every week anyway; if they're going to get injured it will happen regardless.

The only thing I would worry about when it comes to youngsters is that they might be affected mentally and get carried away with their early success or crumble under the pressure of playing at the highest level but I see no signs of that happening with Januzaj.

Good point, but I believe Moyes has managed him well and every player is different. Januzaj can play every week for the reserves because it's lower in quality to the Premier League, but when a player propels forward to the Premier League, the intensity and tempo increase. Youngsters are still growing and this makes them vulnerable, so it would be a risk to play him every week. Moyes has integrated him into the squad in the best possible way IMO - the way he's used him is the best way to minimise the risk of injuries. From what I know, and I'm no football professor level poster, it's during the (early) adolescent years that muscles and bones develop and grow. The muscles/bones are still not at a mature level. He's still 18 (almost 19) and this is a vital period for him. There are also other issues to deal with: diet, training regime, how he does on the field, etc.

 

[Kag]

Fabregas has played on average like 40 games a season since he was 16/17. Januzaj should be playing every week, as he currently is one of our best players. Simple as that.

Agreed.

 

[Backrow Singer]

He's been a major plus for us this season, without meaning to point out the obvious. I think it's his attitude that impresses me most. Always looking to influence the game, never goes into his shell when things get tough and always looks to get on the ball and make things happen. Obviously you need a blend in there, but these are the players that will win you football matches. For a player of his age to have such confidence and belief in his own ability takes some doing.

He has a long way to go at 18 years of age but hopefully he will continue to learn and improve.