Adnan Januzaj was once highly regarded at Manchester United, but his career has declined over the years.
Adnan Januzaj in action for Belgium.
Adnan Januzaj was once compared to the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Former Manchester United winger, Adnan Januzaj, has suffered a major setback in just his second start for Sevilla this season. Once tipped for a bright future at Old Trafford, Januzaj was previously compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Joining the Reds from Anderlecht aged just 16, Januzaj quickly emerged as one of the standout prospects of his generation. His breakthrough came in 2013 during a turbulent season for United, where he featured 35 times and scored four goals.
He was then awarded with a new five‑year contract but, as managers came and went and the squad evolved, his status gradually diminished. In 2015 and 2016, Januzaj had loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland before joining Real Sociedad on a permanent transfer in 2017.
Five years later, Januzaj joined Sevilla. The 30-year-old has endured a slow start to the campaign and his situation has worsened further.
Januzaj was forced off in the 34th minute of Monday's 2-1 defeat to Espanyol owing to a muscular injury. Promptly taking to Instagram, Januzaj wrote: "Thank you all for your messages, and support. It wasn't what I expected at the moment because of all the effort and work done day-to-day, but I have to accept it keep working and fighting.
"I'm sure I'll come back stronger than ever, and it's definitely not an easy time for me. When you love what you do, being forced to stop is hard to accept.
Adnan Januzaj
Adnan Januzaj suffered an injury in Sevilla's match against Espanyol
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"I will give it all to come back even stronger. This challenge is just one more step on my path, now it's time to face it with determination, patience and the desire to return as soon as possible. Thank you for being there through the good times and the hardest one, too."
The Belgian's career looks to have declined since his highly-regarded spell at Old Trafford, with injuries repeatedly disrupting his progress.
Former United youth coach, Eric Harrison, previously said in 2013: "Januzaj is outstanding and I think he is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo."
However, Januzaj failed to convince Jose Mourinho of his qualities. His former manager David Moyes took him on loan to Sunderland, where he delivered a blunt message to the winger.
"I've said to Adnan, you need to stop blaming everyone else for what's gone wrong," said Moyes in 2016. "I've told Adnan to look at himself and realise that it's down to him to change it.
"It can't always be the manager's fault or be the coach's fault that he hasn't progressed. Adnan's got to ask has he prepared right, has he got himself in the best condition, has he trained well enough?
"And, when he's got his opportunity, has he played well enough? In a lot of cases the answer has to be; 'no'."