Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj has burst onto the first team this season (Picture: Reuters)

David Moyes has received plenty of criticism during his first few months as Manchester United boss, but in certain areas he has succeeded in ways a lot of other managers couldn’t have done.

The first success that springs to mind is how Moyes handled the situation surrounding Wayne Rooney during the summer months.

However, what could possibly be more important in the long run is how the new United manager has carefully blooded Adnan Januzaj into the first team squad.

As supporters we were already aware of Januzaj’s talents after watching him at under-21 level, and seeing him make the substitutes’ bench at West Bromwich Albion in Sir Alex’s final game in charge, however nobody was quite sure how good the young Belgian born attacking midfielder exactly was.




As we all now know, Januzaj burst onto the scene in early October with two outstanding goals which dragged United out of trouble at the Stadium of Light – and this was the first glimpse supporters got of the new heir apparent to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Since then supporters have found Moyes’ selection policy with particular focus towards Januzaj frustrating.

It has been highly unlikely to see Januzaj play two matches in a row from the start, nor have we seen the teenager get much action in the Champions League despite being drafted into the squad after the tournament had begun.

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Januzaj was particularly impressive in Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over West Ham (Picture: Getty Images)

Whilst frustrating, this has been effective man-management from Moyes.

How often have we seen young players, particularly those still in their teenage years be thrust straight into a club’s first team, make a huge initial impact and then fade away due to burnout as the season progresses?

Raheem Sterling at Liverpool last season is a prime example with the winger only just recapturing his form in the last couple of weeks after dropping away around Easter time last season.

Moyes has neither rushed nor pressured Januzaj despite the eighteen year old being United’s main attacking force on the wings at times this term, and as a result every time Januzaj has been on the pitch he has looked a real threat.

United supporters love nothing more than a wide midfielder who can go past people at pace or with skill and Januzaj is adept in both those arts with this being why fans have clamoured to see the youngster in the starting 11 on a more regular basis.

Whilst Moyes has been careful with his use of Januzaj thus far we may well be approaching a time where Januzaj is simply too good to leave out, just as Ryan Giggs was in 1991 and Cristiano Ronaldo was in 2003.

Manchester United look a much stronger attacking unit when Januzaj plays and with United creeping back into the title race after a strong Christmas period, Januzaj may soon become one of the first names on Moyes’ team sheet.

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