Adnan Januzaj
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adnan Januzaj[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2011 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2011–2013 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013– | Manchester United | 3 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Adnan Januzaj (pronounced [adˈnan januˈzaj]; born 5 February 1995) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester United. Born in Brussels, he began his career with Belgian club Anderlecht, but joined Manchester United in 2011 at the age of 16.
Club career
Januzaj was born in Brussels to Kosovar-Albanian parents.[2] As a 10-year-old boy, he signed for Belgian side Anderlecht. He left Anderlecht for Manchester United in March 2011 as a 16-year-old after impressing in a skills session in Brussels.
Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave him a first team squad number of 44, however he did not feature in the remainder of the season although he was an unused substitute in Ferguson's last game before retirement; away to West Bromwich Albion.[3] Januzaj has won the 2013 Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award, at only 18 years of age.[4] He joined the first team squad for the 2013–14 pre-season games and was one of United's best performers including scoring a goal. Januzaj also started Rio Ferdinand's testimonial in a match which saw United lose 3–1 to Sevilla. However he provided an assist for United's only goal.[5]
On 11 August 2013, Januzaj made his competitive debut for Manchester United against Wigan Athletic in the 2013 FA Community Shield after coming on for Robin van Persie.[6] He made his Premier League debut a month later, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Ashley Young in a 2–0 home win over Crystal Palace on 14 September. On 5 October 2013, in what was his first start for the club, Januzaj scored twice as United came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory away to Sunderland.
International career
Januzaj is eligible to represent Belgium through birth, Albania through his parents, Turkey through his grandparents and Serbia due to the disputed status of his parents' homeland of Kosovo. He is also eligible to represent Kosovo at international football although they do not have a FIFA-affiliated team but do have a FIFA-sanctioned youth teams which plays in non-FIFA and non-confederation tournaments and exhibition games against full FIFA members.
In June 2013, Marc Van Geersom, former coach of the Belgium U-18 and U-19, has declared that Januzaj has refused a call-up to the Belgian team a number of times, since he would prefer to play for Albania.[7][8]
Albania's coach, Gianni De Biasi declared on 12 August 2013 that Januzaj is a great talent, and that he and the Albanian federation are waiting for the right moment to talk to him and to call him up for the Albanian national side.[9]
The Football Federation of Kosovo have said that they respect Januzaj’s right to decide his international future and that it is not fair to expect a player to represent a nation that cannot play competitive football.[10]
Belgian coach Marc Wilmots has plans to speak to Januzaj about his international future. "I will soon do it and it is up to him to decide. Januzaj has never played for the Rode Duivels. Not even for the youth teams. He has always refused." He also insisted that he will not ask new teammate Marouane Fellaini to persuade him. "I do not ask Marouane to influence him," he added. "That is absolutely not his job." [11]
In October 2013 England manager Roy Hodgson stated that the Football Association were monitoring the player with a view to calling him up in the future.[12] However, despite wide-spread press coverage, the player would not meet the requirements to play for England under the unique rules set out in the Home nations agreement.[13] The Home nations agreement requires that players engage in a minimum of five years education under the age of 18 within the territory of the relevant association and do not offer national team eligibility through residency.[13][14]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other[nb 1] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2013–14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
| Career total | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
Statistics accurate as of matches played 5 October 2013[15]
Honours
Manchester United
- FA Community Shield (1): 2013
Notes
- ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield
References
- ^ "Barclays Premier League Squad Numbers 2013/14". premierleague.com. Premier League. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Adnan Januzaj Player Profile. ManUtd.com Retrieved 2013-10-04.
- ^ "West Brom 5–5 Manchester United". BBC Sport. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ Marshall, Adam (15 May 2013). "Januzaj voted star manUnited". Manchester United. ManUtd.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Manchester United 1–3 Sevilla". Eurosport. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ "Community Shield: Man Utd 2–0 Wigan". BBC Sport. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ Gazeta Express (7 June 2013). "Van Geersom: Januzaj refuzoi Belgjikën, i ati preferon Shqipërinë". Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ Sportmagazime (6 June 2013). "Januzaj krijgt kans bij Man U". Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ RTV21 (12 August 2013). "De Biasi dëshiron Januzajn në kombëtare". Retrieved 13 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ ^ "Adnan Januzaj – MUFC, Belgium, Albania and the Kosovo Diaspora". Das Wunderkind.net. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ http://manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/United-Today/2013/Sep/United-Today-manchester-united-live-blog.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Adnan Januzaj being monitored by England - Roy Hodgson". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ a b Russell, Grant (6 October 2013). "Explained: Why Manchester United's Adnan Januzaj can't play for England". STV Sport. STV. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ^ "Swansea City defender Angel Rangel ineligible for Wales". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ^ Endlar, Andrew. "Adnan Januzaj". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2013.