What Is The Future Of Adnan Januzaj At Manchester United?

By Nick Burgess @NickBurgess92 on October 31, 2014

Adnan Januzaj was the one bright spark of the David Moyes campaign last season. In a seventh-place finish, the young Belgian caught the eye of many with his pace and trickery on the left wing, often displacing his predecessor Ryan Giggs.

After the emergence of Januzaj, he was handed the famous No. 11 shirt this season with the hope that he could replicate the form of the aforementioned Welshman. So far, though, he has yet to find the form he had last season, often lacking a final ball and has been forced out of the starting 11 by new player Angel Di Maria. So what should the club do with their potential star?

One recent report has surfaced, mentioning that Januzaj could be on his way to Ajax on an 18-month loan deal.

While a loan deal makes sense for the player to expand his skills in a very competitive Eredivisie, the 18-month period is unusual and entirely too long for the winger. With another possible manager change within the next 24 months at the end of Louis Van Gaal‘s current contract, as much time with the current first team is needed for him to progress as much as he can.

He is in a very similar situation to what Cristiano Ronaldo was when he first joined the Manchester outfit in the early 2000s. 17-year-old Ronaldo was far too talented to play for the youth team, but not quite good enough to start every game of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson was able to strike an important balance between playtime, rest and expectations. This is what Van Gaal has to do with Januzaj.

A loan is a good idea to a competitive league, as it is a step below the Premier League but much tougher than the possible youth squads or lower-tier teams that he could also loan out to. The management just has to make sure that he is going to the right place where he can advance and become one of the world’s best players when he hits his prime.

Nick Burgess is a soccer columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickBurgess92, “Like” him on Facebook and connect with him on Google.