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Adnan Januzaj at Manchester United.
defiant

'I always knew I had the quality to play for Manchester United. I know what I'm capable of'

Adnan Januzaj believes he was not given an opportunity to display his quality under Jose Mourinho.

ADNAN JANUZAJ BELIEVES he is good enough for Manchester United but feels Jose Mourinho did not give him the chance he needed. 

The 23-year-old made his Red Devils debut in the Community Shield in 2013 and was billed by some as a natural successor to Ryan Giggs as he made a positive impact during the early months of David Moyes’s ill-fated tenure as manager.

However, Januzaj never quite lived up to expectations and the Belgian winger was eventually allowed to leave for Real Sociedad in the summer of 2017 when Mourinho deemed him surplus to requirements.

Januzaj reckons that he was not given enough time as a young player to show his quality under the Portuguese, who sent him on loan to Sunderland upon his arrival at Old Trafford in 2016 before letting him leave the club permanently.

“I didn’t really get a chance because at the time he [Mourinho] probably wanted more experienced players with names,” Januzaj told Sky Sports News. 

He insists that he had the attributes to succeed at Old Trafford, but claims he is happy at Sociedad, where he has made 39 appearances in all competitions since joining.

“For me, it wasn’t a problem,” he added. “I had to move on and now I am happy in Spain and making a difference. I always knew I had the quality to play for Manchester United. I know what I’m capable of. They didn’t give me a chance but it’s not a problem. I’m happy in Spain and enjoying my football.”

His old side sit eighth in the Premier League, 12 points off local rivals Manchester City at the top of the table after just 12 games, but Januzaj is backing them to get back to winning ways.

“They [Manchester United] are struggling. It is a great team and great fans but they are struggling at the moment. Obviously they are going to get back on top. I think they need to make the right decisions to win games. There are many different reasons [why they are struggling], so they need to make the right decisions.”

Januzaj is part of the Belgium squad that will face Iceland at home and Switzerland away in the Nations League as they look to cement top spot in Group A2. 

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