Of all the beautiful problems you can have in the world, getting Adnan Januzaj a settled role in the first team side is certainly among the most attractive.
Here’s a boy who was one of the few green triangles in the otherwise coffee cream filled box of quality street that was a disaster of a season under Moyes, when signings in the early part of the the summer were failing to be made I was concerned, but not panicked as we had this lad, a source of hope and potential so big he could feed every reds hopes for future glory, he was then given the number 11 shirt, and with it a higher intensity of spotlight under which he needed to perform, then the season started and……
That’s it really, the season’s under way, the team’s been busy delivering staggering examples of progression & regression, but the lad’s yet to feature with any distinction so far in 14/15, so I ask myself, and obviously in writing this, you lot also, where does one of the best young talents in world football fit into our plans for this season?
Out wide?
Not for me, for a few reasons but I’ll list just a couple for now.
It’s a waste! Putting a boy with his balance, vision & distribution outside is like having God save the queen in vinyl and using it as a drinks coaster! His ability to make a ball do things that defenders can neither anticipate or stop is something that needs to be used centrally, which brings me on to point B.
The hole.
Now I don’t think I’m taking a risk in betting the full value of my reputation chips on this being his best position by a mile, but I’d be just as confident about saying the exact same thing of Rooney, Mata & a rampaging Di Maria, so how does he get a game there as the emerging youngster when there’re already 3 worldies ahead of him to play there?
Well that’s a question that only LVG and old Father Time can answer, my hope is that they answer it well and if possible quickly, because the inability to nurture match winning talent from the academy since the class of 92 has been questionable at best.
Look at a few basics off the top of my on the train home head, Brown, O’Shea, Welbeck, Fabio & Pogba to name a few, Rossi, Pique and Zaha too, we’ve made a mess of shaping some immense talent, we’ve continually played it out of position until the early promise shown becomes a forgotten memory, or we’ve seen experienced players used in positions they’ve never played in over using a young player who’s high in potential but low in experience.
For Adnan to be added to that list would be truly criminal, as I write this I’m confident that it won’t be, but fearful that it could be.
