It has today been confirmed that Adnan Januzaj will be returning to Old Trafford after easily one of the worst loan deals ever agreed, and the reaction among Manchester United fans has been noticeably mixed. One the one hand, some fans can't wait to see him given another chance, inspired by the talent that he showed in his breakthrough season, whereas others believe that his form last in the last campaign suggests that he will have little impact.
One thing that is certain, and that is that Januzaj will be given a chance. Considering that Louis Van Gaal has turned to the likes of Nick Powell to provide a spark from the bench in recent times, a player who has pace, can play on either wing or in behind the striker will be invaluable to Manchester United, who are notoriously light on attacking options this season. It's down to the Belgian regarding whether or not he can do anything with that chance.
The mixed reaction to news of his return is understandable, as Manchester United have seen two versions of Adnan Januzaj play for their club thus fair.
One was a fearless teenager who cared not for reputation and instead dribbled directly at the heart of defences, pulling players out of position and creating chances. While fans of other clubs now mock United fans for their high estimations of the youngster, they saw what they saw, and that was a seriously bright talent who showed the potential of a top modern footballer. This Adnan wore number 44 on his back and was often considered the only positive of some bleak performances in that awful season under David Moyes.
The other Januzaj wore number 11, and looked like a lost little boy. The take-ons and dribbles that he won the hearts of the Manchester United faithful with were gone, instead pondering on the ball and allowing Premier League defenders to push him around became the norm. Perhaps this was an effect that Louis Van Gaal's tactics had on him, but Januzaj would have been considered one of the biggest disappointments of last season for Manchester United.
So which version will the fans see? It's tough to tell, because there are a number of new variables in play thanks to that awful, awful loan at Dortmund.
On the face of things, having played only six times for the black and yellow, and most often seen moping on the bench, it looks as though the lad's confidence has taken a battering. Having already been told he wouldn't get much game time from Louis Van Gaal, he then chose Borussia Dortmund himself, clearly thinking he could cut it. The resulting termination of the deal will surely have been a blow to his ego, or, could it be a bit of a reality check?
Having inherited the #11 jersey from Ryan Giggs, Januzaj could have been forgiven for thinking he was already a part of the furniture at Old Trafford. A very poor second season shoved him out of the first team picture, but he clearly still believed he was good enough to get into the team at Dortmund, so this failure could have been the wake up call that he needs to pull his socks up and start grafting.
He has also now experienced football in a different culture. He has trained with new players, under a different manager, and will have been exposed to new ways of thinking about the game. He will have seen how Marco Reus trains day to day, and while there is little doubt that his experience in Germany was ultimately a failure, it was still an experience. And don't they say you learn more from failure than success?
A lesson that Manchester United should be learning from this, is to have a serious re-think about their loan policy altogether. When was the last time a loan worked out for Manchester United? Tom Cleverley to Wigan? Danny Welbeck or Jonny Evans to Sunderland? Did they even work out in the end? In all honesty it's probably David Beckham to Preston North End. Let that sink in.
Instead Januzaj's loan reminds me of another player that Manchester United fans were sure would go on to big things.. Kiko Macheda. Bad loans absolutely ruined any hope he had of making it as a star player. The momentum he gained after his breakthrough was slowed due to having to compete with genuine world class attacking options, so United shoved him out of the back door on loan to Sampdoria, a crisis club who had a negative effect on the Italian striker, and United fans never saw the same player again. Now his wikipedia page looks like this:
Adnan Januzaj is now at a crossroads in his career, which seems ridiculous to say at the age of 20, but the boy from Brussels could go one of two ways. He could learn from his mistakes, admit that he has a lot to learn, hit the gym (which honestly is probably the thing he needs to do more than anything, as if he was put on Cristiano Ronaldo's early weight regimen I believe the sky is the limit for him), and accept that his best chance of becoming the player many expected him to is to graft and be patient, or he could be another Kiko Macheda, and be listed as one of a plethora of "failed superstars" that end up in one of our infamous list-posts.
For now, all Manchester United fans can do is wait and see. Critsiano Ronaldo was written off many times before he returned from a negative experience in the 2006 World Cup, took his anger out in the gym and became the player that he will be remembered for at Old Trafford. United fans will of course be praying for that outcome, while fans of other clubs will be hoping for more of a Macheda trajectory for his career, but as of now it's a clean slate with it all up in the air for Adnan Januzaj.
