MAN UTD

  

  

Adnan Januzaj must make the most of his talent to shine at Manchester United, admits boss Louis van Gaal 

• Adnan Januzaj made his first start since November 8 against Leicester
• The young midfielder is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan
• But Louis van Gaal insists he can make it at United if he works hard
• Januzaj is competing with Juan Mata for a place in Van Gaal's team

It's a sign of how far Adnan Januzaj's stock has fallen at Manchester United that few would have been surprised to see the precocious youngster leave Old Trafford on loan before the transfer window closes on Monday night.

Such a scenario would have been unthinkable when Januzaj signed a five-year contract worth £30,000-a-week just 15 months ago. He was a shining light amid the gloom of the brief David Moyes era, and United fought tooth and nail to keep him from the clutches of their European rivals, notably Paris Saint-Germain.

Januzaj has faded under Louis van Gaal, however. On Saturday, he made his first Premier League start since November 8 — one week short of three months — on the left side of a midfield diamond.

It was only the sixth time in all competitions that Van Gaal has named the Belgium international in his line-up since taking over in the summer. Questions remain over how he fits into the new system when United have so many other attacking options.

PSG and Inter Milan are among the clubs who inquired about a loan deal but United decided to keep him for now.

However, Januzaj is 20 on Thursday. Potential alone is no longer enough.

His performance against Leicester could at best be described as lively, but he still lacks the confidence and end product that marked him out as a star of the future last season.

Van Gaal has told the player that he must start making the most of his undoubted promise to be part of United's first-team plans.

'He has a lot of talent but you have to perform that talent in the matches and also in the training sessions,' said the United boss.

'I'm not making the line-up, the players themselves are making the line-up. You don't believe that, I think.

'I observe and I communicate with my players what I want every day. At the moment I think 'okay, he is now ready to play' then maybe I can let them play.

'I have to compare Januzaj with Juan Mata and now I choose Januzaj. I'm looking every week and every day the players have to show it. I've said this to the players, to Falcao, Mata and Januzaj.

'The competition is high and also that's difficult to manage for players.'

United avenged their shock 5-3 defeat Leicester in September, easing to victory with first-half efforts from Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao and an own-goal by Wes Morgan.

It remains to be seen if Januzaj makes his third start in a row in Tuesday's FA Cup replay against Cambridge, having played in the goalless draw at the Abbey Stadium.

'I haven't played too much, so it was good to get 90 minutes,' he said. 'I was tired and had cramp in the last 15 minutes, but I knew I had a job to do.'

Old Trafford sources maintain that there are unlikely to be any signings before the window closes despite continued speculation linking United with a £37.5million bid for PSG defender Marquinhos, who is valued at closer to £50m by the French champions.

The Brazilian is one of a number of defenders United have enquired about in recent months and fits Van Gaal's criteria of a player who can operate at centre back or right back. However, it is understood that any deal will have to wait until the summer.

Two players who could still leave Old Trafford before the deadline are midfielders Darren Fletcher and Anderson.

Fletcher's representatives are in talks with West Bromwich Albion after his move to West Ham broke down over the weekend, while Internacional want to take Anderson back to Brazil.