Adnan Januzaj

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Treble said:
It wasn't only about the importance of the goal. The goal was magnificent. You expect goals of such quality from RvP or Aguero, not from a teenager on his debut.

IMHO, as talented as Adnan is, he's nowhere near, say, C. Ronaldos' level at the same age. Fans tend to go OTT in regards to young talented players.
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Completely different type of players. I think in terms of awareness and intelligence on the ball Januzaj is perhaps better than what Ronaldo was but in terms of sheer pace and trickery Ronaldo was head and shoulders above him of course which sets him apart amongst other things that I'm probably not even considering.

When you take decision making into account, I'd say that Januzaj is ahead of what Ronaldo was at 18 (my memory could be skewered but I remember seeing a redcafe thread where united fans were hating him) and most certainly ahead of where the likes of Nani was when he came to us at a later age. If Januzaj had Ronaldo's pace I reckon he could be better than what Ronaldo was at 18, Ronaldo wasn't the great goalscorer he is today at that age and his decision making wasn't the best but he had all the raw ingredients needed to go onto become what he has.

But Januzaj already possesses the decision making and awareness, he needs Usain to come and train him to get that extra yard of pace if he's going to play as a winger. If he plays in the AM/free role type role then it won't matter as much but he has what everything you'd want of an up and coming united youngster.
 
Treble said:
It wasn't only about the importance of the goal. The goal was magnificent. You expect goals of such quality from RvP or Aguero, not from a teenager on his debut.

IMHO, as talented as Adnan is, he's nowhere near, say, C. Ronaldos' level at the same age. Fans tend to go OTT in regards to young talented players.
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Ronaldo was electric, a sure fire hit and looked like a potential world beater in that debut game. The reality was that it took him a couple of years to reach that potential but even in his first season, FA cup winner and outstanding during Euro 2004. Janzuaj is a playmaker type, these players usually take even longer to mature, but his intelligence on the ball is already superior to say Ronaldo and Rooney at the same age.. albeit in physical terms he is not going to be as good as either of them as he lacks their pace. That said, he's a different type of player and should be judged in his own right... he's unique in that he's like a David Silva, Ozil type of player but he looks very penetrative, he's direct and likes scoring goals or hitting the killer pass as soon as he has the opportunity to, which makes him very exciting, not to mention he likes to run at players.

All the signs are there that we've finally found a european playmaking type who would be quality in the CL, but one that fits into our style of football in that he is direct, stylish and can play at a high tempo.
 
Genius Me! said:
Completely different type of players. I think in terms of awareness and intelligence on the ball Januzaj is perhaps better than what Ronaldo was but in terms of sheer pace and trickery Ronaldo was head and shoulders above him of course which sets him apart amongst other things that I'm probably not even considering.

When you take decision making into account, I'd say that Januzaj is ahead of what Ronaldo was at 18 (my memory could be skewered but I remember seeing a redcafe thread where united fans were hating him) and most certainly ahead of where the likes of Nani was when he came to us at a later age. If Januzaj had Ronaldo's pace I reckon he could be better than what Ronaldo was at 18, Ronaldo wasn't the great goalscorer he is today at that age and his decision making wasn't the best but he had all the raw ingredients needed to go onto become what he has.

But Januzaj already possesses the decision making and awareness, he needs Usain to come and train him to get that extra yard of pace if he's going to play as a winger. If he plays in the AM/free role type role then it won't matter as much but he has what everything you'd want of an up and coming united youngster.
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I think you might be right about Adnan's intelligence but 20 min. against a tired mediocre team are not enough to tell. I remember that Obertan had a great debut in the CL and we commented back then on the caf that he looked like a better player than Nani and evidently more intelligent.
 
He had a great game. Very impressive. That being said, if he had an even better debut, and impressed more than Ronaldo on his debut, it would be no guarantee that he would become a better footballer than Ronaldo. Alternatively, he could hav e come out and had an absolute howler, struggling with his touch, vision and passing and that would have been no guarantee that we have another Bebe on our hands.

We know from his time with the youths and reserves that this boy has a lot of quality. No one can be sure if he'll make the step up to become a major player for us, but look, the signs are good so far. Lets just enjoy the possible emergence of a big player in United's future.
 
Raees said:
Ronaldo was electric, a sure fire hit and looked like a potential world beater in that debut game. The reality was that it took him a couple of years to reach that potential but even in his first season, FA cup winner and outstanding during Euro 2004. Janzuaj is a playmaker type, these players usually take even longer to mature, but his intelligence on the ball is already superior to say Ronaldo and Rooney at the same age.. albeit in physical terms he is not going to be as good as either of them as he lacks their pace. That said, he's a different type of player and should be judged in his own right... he's unique in that he's like a David Silva, Ozil type of player but he looks very penetrative, he's direct and likes scoring goals or hitting the killer pass as soon as he has the opportunity to, which makes him very exciting, not to mention he likes to run at players.

All the signs are there that we've finally found a european playmaking type who would be quality in the CL, but one that fits into our style of football in that he is direct, stylish and can play at a high tempo.
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I sincery hope you are right, mate. Personally, I quite like such players.
 
Treble said:
I sincery hope you are right, mate. Personally, I quite like such players.
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Put it this way I haven't been so excited since we signed Bebe and I called him the new Jairzinho. But seriously, its been a long time since I've enjoyed United playing and both Fellaini and Januazaj impressed me yesterday, albeit it was against Palace but you just sensed we went up several gears with these two on the pitch, a sign of quality.
 
They both did very well, and hard not to be excited, particularly about this fellow.

But it was a 10 men Palace side who were tiring with 25 mins left to play.

He deserves his chance, but there is no way until he properly proves himself will I be calling for him to be an automatic starter.
 
The very fact that our other wing options are Young and Valencia should be enough to make him an automatic starter. It's completely impossible that he'd do worse than those two.
 
Genius Me! said:
Completely different type of players. I think in terms of awareness and intelligence on the ball Januzaj is perhaps better than what Ronaldo was but in terms of sheer pace and trickery Ronaldo was head and shoulders above him of course which sets him apart amongst other things that I'm probably not even considering.

When you take decision making into account, I'd say that Januzaj is ahead of what Ronaldo was at 18 (my memory could be skewered but I remember seeing a redcafe thread where united fans were hating him) and most certainly ahead of where the likes of Nani was when he came to us at a later age. If Januzaj had Ronaldo's pace I reckon he could be better than what Ronaldo was at 18, Ronaldo wasn't the great goalscorer he is today at that age and his decision making wasn't the best but he had all the raw ingredients needed to go onto become what he has.

But Januzaj already possesses the decision making and awareness, he needs Usain to come and train him to get that extra yard of pace if he's going to play as a winger. If he plays in the AM/free role type role then it won't matter as much but he has what everything you'd want of an up and coming united youngster.
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Agree with a lot you say but don't think wingers of his type (Silva Mata Ozil not saying he is in their class just similar style) need pace as the all come centrally rather than get to the bye line and cross. These type of players are usually the guys who thread clever little passes rather than crosses.
 
wr8_utd said:
The very fact that our other wing options are Young and Valencia should be enough to make him an automatic starter. It's completely impossible that he'd do worse than those two.
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I think it'll get to a stage where we can't afford to leave him out, due to the contract issue and also the fact that having those two in the team is going to lead to us struggling.
 
Randall Flagg said:
They both did very well, and hard not to be excited, particularly about this fellow.

But it was a 10 men Palace side who were tiring with 25 mins left to play.

He deserves his chance, but there is no way until he properly proves himself will I be calling for him to be an automatic starter.
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Agree Randall 100% but it is exciting seeing a prospect this exciting coming through. It's like an unexpected bonus.
 
The fact he got on in the first place and then made that sort of an impression in a Premier league game in front of an Old Trafford crowd suggests he features in Moyes thoughts and you would imagine he's given him real food for thought. I think, opposition notwithstanding, that was a crucial 20 odd minutes for him yesterday.
 
Lawman said:
Agree with a lot you say but don't think wingers of his type (Silva Mata Ozil not saying he is in their class just similar style) need pace as the all come centrally rather than get to the bye line and cross. These type of players are usually the guys who thread clever little passes rather than crosses.
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Yeah, I dont really see his pace as an issue tbh. Hes not even that slow, and he seems to have a great burst of acceleration, similar to those players you mentioned.
 
Jannijazzi has great overall ability but he needs to get slightly faster if he wants to play on the wing. He has all the dribbling and control to be very efficient out there, but he is still too slow to be a great.

I rate him above Valencia/Young however.
 
Annahnomoss said:
Jannijazzi has great overall ability but he needs to get slightly faster if he wants to play on the wing. He has all the dribbling and control to be very efficient out there, but he is still too slow to be a great.

I rate him above Valencia/Young however.
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As I said in earlier post pace not a major issue (obviously a bonus) but he has a long way to go before I rate him better than Valencia (even last seasons one)
 
I really hope we don't drop the ball on his contract - he was fearless yesterday and doesnt seem to need pace to beat a man

Certainly unpredictable and his balance and skill were clear to see

When a young player makes an entrance like that and looks so composed and at home in the first team you'd have to think he can grow to be a very very good player for us

Such a good looking boy too! ....could have a Beckham impact and sell a lot of shirts
 
Treble said:
I think you might be right about Adnan's intelligence but 20 min. against a tired mediocre team are not enough to tell. I remember that Obertan had a great debut in the CL and we commented back then on the caf that he looked like a better player than Nani and evidently more intelligent.
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Without doubt it was only 20 minutes, but I'm not basing his intelligence on a 20 minute cameo. He displays this kind of performance in every single match I've ever seen of him. I really can't say I've actually seen him play badly, I don't expect him to play perfectly every game at first team because he's clearly too good for reserves but its his intelligence that sets him apart.

Lawman said:
Agree with a lot you say but don't think wingers of his type (Silva Mata Ozil not saying he is in their class just similar style) need pace as the all come centrally rather than get to the bye line and cross. These type of players are usually the guys who thread clever little passes rather than crosses.
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No I agree with you. I'd say he's deceptively quick, but if he could develop that extra half yard of pace then I think it would give him another level to work towards. I don't ever see him as being the type of player to just knock a ball past someone and run but if he's going to play in a game with instructions to stay by the side line for example then it would be good if he could develop that extra half a yard.
 
I don't think people are jumping to unrealistic conclusions after yesterday. This time last season he was still playing for the U18s and has handled the step up brilliantly every time he has moved up a level and hadn't once looked out of his depth. When he joined the U21s half way through last season it wasn't long before became their dominant player, and didn't ever look out of place. He impressed in preseason for us too.

What I like the most is that he's completely unfazed, and genuinely believes he can positively impact on our games, even at the highest level, and he tries his utmost to do that. He isn't happy being a passenger and letting the game pass him by, he desperately wants to stamp his mark on it whilst he's out on the pitch and he drives the team forward. His link-up play is brilliant for his age, on both wings and centrally, and he doesn't whip pointless balls into the box from the wide areas he chooses the right cross or cutback or through ball a lot of the time. He's a constant threat and he's very incisive.

I don't see why people shouldn't get excited. Most have been watching him for a quite while now and those that haven't have seen clips or seen him raved about a fair bit on here. I don't see anyone suggesting that he's the next Ronaldo just that his debut had shades of Ronaldo's mainly with the confidence he exuded. Getting excited about youngsters is one of the perks of supporting a club that brings them through and believes in its youth policy. They won't all turn out how you would like but that's inevitable.
 
Genius Me! said:
There's a lot more to go in it than just today. I've never felt worried about Adnan, he is too gifted and has the right attitude to make it here. He's going to be an absolute star, I tell everyone I know about him, I've never talked so much about a youngster before I don't think.
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Absolutely, I meant his attitude on the pitch in reserve games too, not just today. He's always working hard, tracking back and getting stuck in, even though it's apparent that level is now beneath him. This attitude is in stark contrast to another exceptionally talented youngster we recently had, who at times just walked his way through reserve games.
 
His debut was nothing like Ronaldo's to be honest. Cristiano electrified Old Trafford for 30 minutes, displaying skills not seen since Giggs' introduction to the first team. There was a buzz around that day and anyone could see the kid was something extra special.

Januzaj had a good debut and he looks to be a player who can offer something different in the long run. I just didn't feel the same levels of excitement I did when I saw Ronaldo tormenting Bolton in that way. Not to say I'm not excited by this kid, I definitely am.
 
Lawman said:
As I said in earlier post pace not a major issue (obviously a bonus) but he has a long way to go before I rate him better than Valencia (even last seasons one)
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I think we may agree, I rate him above Valencia as a winger. I think Januzaj needs to add a slight extra pace boost to really be able to take a next level as a winger. I personally prefer him in a number 10 role though, where his dribbling and pace is more than sufficient.

He has a great technique in 1 on 1's the way he angles himself slightly inside and runs straight at the players, but with some extra pace he could make the defender commit to one side much more. Now the defender knows he doesn't have to commit so even if Januzaj makes his absolute perfect dribble, the opponent is right there with him.

When defenders defend against wingers like Nani/Neymar you can see that even if they fail a bit with the dribble their pace more than makes up for it. The defenders has to commit and almost guess which side they will go to because if they just wait it out they will always be behind just on pure pace.

It will be interesting to see where he gets games though, his best position is number 10 but he won't get games ahead of Rooney/Kagawa/Cleverley/Anderson/Fellaini/RVP/Welbeck there. However on the wings he may actually get a slot if he adds just a bit of pace to his game. I think he would be better than Zaha if he had the physique of Zaha as his overall play is amazing for a winger.
 
Annahnomoss said:
I think we may agree, I rate him above Valencia as a winger. I think Januzaj needs to add a slight extra pace boost to really be able to take a next level as a winger. I personally prefer him in a number 10 role though, where his dribbling and pace is more than sufficient.

He has a great technique in 1 on 1's the way he angles himself slightly inside and runs straight at the players, but with some extra pace he could make the defender commit to one side much more. Now the defender knows he doesn't have to commit so even if Januzaj makes his absolute perfect dribble, the opponent is right there with him.

When defenders defend against wingers like Nani/Neymar you can see that even if they fail a bit with the dribble their pace more than makes up for it. The defenders has to commit and almost guess which side they will go to because if they just wait it out they will always be behind just on pure pace.

It will be interesting to see where he gets games though, his best position is number 10 but he won't get games ahead of Rooney/Kagawa/Cleverley/Anderson/Fellaini/RVP/Welbeck there. However on the wings he may actually get a slot if he adds just a bit of pace to his game. I think he would be better than Zaha if he had the physique of Zaha as his overall play is amazing for a winger.
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But we clearly don't agree as I rate Valencia much more at this stage than januzaj not even close in my book.
 
Lawman said:
As I said in earlier post pace not a major issue (obviously a bonus) but he has a long way to go before I rate him better than Valencia (even last seasons one)
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Valencia was useless 95% of the time last season, I can't see how Januzaj would have a long way before being considered close to or beyond his level, unlees we want to believe that at 18 he is too young and must be not good enough (like we did with certain Frenchman).
 
Another great thing about him is that he forces people to move, he's so direct and willing to carry the ball and drive inwards it makes people make a run forward or move outwide and I think it just ups the dynamic of the attack. Obviously we've only seen it in pre-season and against a weak Palace, but I don't see why against a better team that aspect would be different, he'll still try and play the same way it'll just be much tougher.
 
Valencia was our player of the season a few years ago though, so we all know how good he can be. I simply love watching Adnan play, but he's not near Tonys level yet. I fully believe that Adnan will be a star, but we need to give him time and stop saying that he's already better than players who've proved themselves for half a decade or more in the PL.
 
It's not fair to compare him to Ronaldo. Ronaldo was an exceptional talent for his age.
 
Burrow said:
Valencia was our player of the season a few years ago though, so we all know how good he can be. I simply love watching Adnan play, but he's not near Tonys level yet. I fully believe that Adnan will be a star, but we need to give him time and stop saying that he's already better than players who've proved themselves for half a decade or more in the PL.
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I'd be surprised if it takes him more than this season or the next at the very most.
 
Freak said:
I hope in the long run we play him on the right wing. I just like watching left footed play makers (ozil, mata, silva) cut in from the right.
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The thing is one the left, he gives us a natural width and crossing ability, not to mention he can always cut in and join in when he wants, whereas on the right, he can only cut in and not offer anything else out wide. More unpredictable on the left, but he needs to work on his right foot.. he's not afraid to use it, but the technique needs working on.
 
Raees said:
The thing is one the left, he gives us a natural width and crossing ability, not to mention he can always cut in and join in when he wants, whereas on the right, he can only cut in and not offer anything else out wide. More unpredictable on the left, but he needs to work on his right foot.. he's not afraid to use it, but the technique needs working on.
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You're very very very wrong. (With what you said about him on the right)
 
Raees said:
The thing is one the left, he gives us a natural width and crossing ability, not to mention he can always cut in and join in when he wants, whereas on the right, he can only cut in and not offer anything else out wide. More unpredictable on the left, but he needs to work on his right foot.. he's not afraid to use it, but the technique needs working on.
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He was prepared to go down the wing on the right in preason though. I don't see a problem with that.
 
Sarni said:
Valencia was useless 95% of the time last season, I can't see how Januzaj would have a long way before being considered close to or beyond his level, unlees we want to believe that at 18 he is too young and must be not good enough (like we did with certain Frenchman).
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Valencia has won our POTY and was outstanding for 2 years. Last season after coming back from a horrific injury he was average. AJ has a bit to go before I consider him a better option than Valencia that's only my thoughts.
 
Lawman said:
Valencia has won our POTY and was outstanding for 2 years. Last season after coming back from a horrific injury he was average. AJ has a bit to go before I consider him a better option than Valencia that's only my thoughts.
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He was fine just after the injury (both the first and second one), he went off the track at the beginning of last season and hasn't come back to his top form even for a small period of time since. It's all fine saying that he's going to hit the top form at some point but it's been a year and he hasn't got close, surely if it doesn't change at some point we'll have to accept that we may never get to see Valencia of 09-12 again and we'll have to give the likes of Januzaj and Zaha a go.

It'll be criminal if we don't play Januzaj this season because we're trying to get Valencia back to top form.
 
Genius Me! said:
You're very very very wrong. (With what you said about him on the right)
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Freak said:
He was prepared to go down the wing on the right in preason though. I don't see a problem with that.
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Oh I'm not saying he'd be ineffective, in pre-season against even Sevilla, he showed some great moves on the right. We're just discussing where would be his 'most' effective position as of this moment in his development. I'm saying on the right he'd be quality, but I think in our current side as it is, he brings something very different by being on the left, there are alot of left footed playmakers on the right cutting in, it would be nice to see something different for a change.. a guy who is a menace at going down the line and crossing, but can also come in and act as a 3rd midfielder.

Anyway pointless debate, he'll be good on either flank.
 
Comsmit said:
His debut was nothing like Ronaldo's to be honest. Cristiano electrified Old Trafford for 30 minutes, displaying skills not seen since Giggs' introduction to the first team. There was a buzz around that day and anyone could see the kid was something extra special.

Januzaj had a good debut and he looks to be a player who can offer something different in the long run. I just didn't feel the same levels of excitement I did when I saw Ronaldo tormenting Bolton in that way. Not to say I'm not excited by this kid, I definitely am.
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Why because he never done a million and one step overs. The kid made a massive impression.. His awareness and as the commentators mentioned, balance was very advanced for his age. You can't judge him to Ronaldo because they are different types of players. If we can rave about Barkley i don't see why we can't rave about Januzaj.
 
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