Adnan Januzaj will stay at Manchester United
Article by Terry CarrollFollow e-Manchester United on Twitter
It is hardly surprising, following the Paul Pogba debacle, that the media is able to write scare stories about Manchester United losing more young players.
Mind you, we will never know how many of those are 'fed' to journalists by players' agents trying to get their clients a better contract.
The latest rumours being promulgated include the general theme of United abandoning their youth policy and specific suggestions regarding Januzaj and Andreas Perreira, two of their brightest stars.
The trouble is that for a story to have legs it must have a degree of credibility and also needs to be fed, either by the fears of United fans or the jealousy of others.
Substance rather than rumour.
Readers of this column cannot be guaranteed perfect knowledge, because we are not members of the United Board of Directors; however, you can rely on objective and reasoned arguments based on facts that are already in the public domain, or that have been gleaned from all the available United sources.
Earlier this week we rubbished the suggestions that United's youth policy has been abandoned. Yes of course, true Reds will have been sad to see Danny Welbeck go and would genuinely wish him well. He is a 'son of Manchester'.
But there is always a reason, beyond the wild speculation put about by journos trying to give life to their story. Rumours are taken as facts these days and you wouldn't believe some of the things fans say to you at Old Trafford on match day, that they have read in the media, even though on cool reflection they simply cannot be true.
So what about Adnan?
Well let's begin with Pogba. Sources at United have made clear that Sir Alex was desperate to keep him and of course he could have been given more chances in the first team. After all, he has flourished in the best side in Italy.
But to understand you need to look at circumstance and policy.
Sir Alex knew what we didn't, that it might be his last season (especially if he had won the League). He had already welcomed Paul Scholes back from retirement. City were on the march. So the manager may have erred on the side of caution as every match became a 'must win'.
And believe it or not, United do have a pay structure, especially for Academy players moving onto full playing contracts. Some may say this does not equate with paying Radamel Falcao a rumoured £300,000 a week, but one day Januzaj may be on this at United. Pogba may not elsewhere.
So at the time Sir Alex fought tooth and nail to get a unique deal for the young Frenchman. The powers that be were unyielding and possibly the best young midfield prospect in Europe was lost.
But the major beneficiary was young master Januzaj. He got the contract he wanted and his prospects were improved.
And yet money is not the reason why he will stay. Nor is it for Andreas Perreira and especially the young English players coming through the Academy and U21s.
Ever since Sir Matt Busby and possibly before, players have joined or stayed at United because this is where they want to be. There has also been a rigorous evaluation of their personalities at every stage. How many times have you heard a supporter say “he's/he's not a Manchester United player.”
We know what we mean and so do the owners and coaches. It's about having the 'right stuff'. At the core of that is humility and sublimating individual aspirations to the greater benefit of 'the team'.
Cynical outsiders might choose to believe that 'it's the team that matters' is just a mantra, drummed into players right through their Academy development or before they sign in as transfers.
But we true Manchester United fans know it to be different.
How many journalists watch and listen to the interviews players give on MUTV and read between the lines as to what they really mean.
Watch Adnan Januzaj being interviewed and you can see in his eyes what it means to be at United and indeed why he is here for the long haul. To believe he would leave now would mean to think of him as a mercenary, having accepted the Number 11 shirt with all the deep significance it carries.
Of course you can never rule out the possibility of a loan to another Premier League side, or even elsewhere, but we must remember the modern game is a squad game. Why else would Falcao be delighted to come and Robin van Persie equally delighted to welcome him.
The best players believe in themselves and welcome competition. The best young players understand that if you play at United and are good enough, you will get your chance and the money will follow you.
So listen to the player himself before you believe a rumour. Januzaj is guided by his father and both seem to be level-headed adults.
In a Squawka interview this month he was very clear on his influences and that he will stay:
“[My family] are very important for my career, especially my mum and my dad; they have looked after me the whole way from when I first started playing football.” and “I’m happy to play anywhere for the manager. I saw some reports saying I was unhappy, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love this club and I’m excited to play for this manager. The fans have been so good to me and I want to repay them.”
Those who speculate on whether players will leave to get more game time ignore at least three fundamentals:
If a player wants to leave Manchester United then they weren't right for them in the first place. Do you honestly think Danny Welbeck, Nani or Tom Cleverley wanted to go? Shinji Kagawa was different because he had failed to impress either David Moyes or Louis van Gall sufficiently and in fact he was probably too lightweight for the physical Premier League.
Ben Amos, on the other hand, could have left years ago and Anders Lindegaard is prepared to stay and take his chances.
The next truth is that it is a squad game. United pick 18 players for every match. Even with a first team of De Gea, Rafael, Jones, Rojo, Shaw, Herrera, Blind, Di Maria, Rooney, Falcao and Van Persie, it is hard to believe that Lindegaard, Evans, Smalling, Fletcher, Carrick, Mata and Januzaj wouldn't find themselves on the bench if everyone was fit.
And that is the final key point. United have already had up to ten injuries this season. That is the main reason why Tyler Blackett has had the chance to show he is one for the future; and why Perreira was a substitute for the QPR match.
Even now, United are missing a world class central defender and possibly a holding midfielder. There are still as many injured players (seven) as any other team in the Premiership.
And those are the reasons why Januzaj should and will stay, but also why Saidy Janko, Marnick Vermijl, Andreas Perreira and James Wilson will get their chances this season. All of them can go on to being first team regulars, thereby inspiring the other young wannabes on the United youth conveyor belt.
They're also a reason why great players like Herrera and Falcao are prepared to come and take their chances.
And also of course because, as they have all said “Manchester United is the biggest club in the world...”
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