Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United has gotten off to a flying start, but there’s still one big issue looming over his tenure.
The new-look United have come storming out the gates, claiming the Community Shield against Premier League champions Leicester and recording two impressive wins in their first two league games of the season.
Mourinho’s summer signings have settled in quickly, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly in particular putting in stand-out performances.
And yet, fans are still worried that their Portuguese manager is not willing to give youth a chance, and is interested only in big-money signings of established veterans.
The former Chelsea boss has allowed young potential stars like Nick Powell, Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett to leave the club permanently (in Powell’s case, for free) while also shipping out Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, James Wilson and Adnan Januzaj on loan.
Januzaj, in particular, has been cause célèbre for United fans over the past two seasons in this regard.
The Belgian playmaker was one of the only bright spots of David Moyes’s ill-fated reign at Old Trafford, and many expected him to push on under Louis van Gaal.
But Januzaj saw his progress stalled under the Dutchman, and he eventually was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund where he failed to make much of an impact beyond being mocked by his new team-mates.
Fans hoped that his fortunes may take a turn for the better under Mourinho, but it was hardly shocking when it was announced that the 21-year-old would be going on loan to Sunderland for the year to link up with David Moyes once more. In fact, it was so unsurprising that some people even predicted it three years ago.
But if it was inevitable that he would leave United for Sunderland, it was nailed on that he would arrive with a bang and immediately give United fans a serious case of FOMO.
Januzaj scored the only goal of the Black Cats’ 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. And if you know anything about the Belgian midfielder, you’ll know that he has an eye for the spectacular when he wants to.
El gol de Januzaj contra Shrewsbury https://t.co/ge7bWPMKNo
— Rincón Del United (@RinconDelUnited) August 24, 2016
Read more:
