Why Celtic have made a massive blunder by not signing Adnan Januzaj last summer
Last summer, Adnan Januzaj was deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United by Jose Mourinho. The Belgian had shown flashes of his brilliance since his breakthrough 2013/14 season under David Moyes. But Januzaj saw his game time reduce gradually, following which the youngster was sent on loan to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in 2015. However, his season-long loan was cut short in January after he failed to impress.
Januzaj featured only 5 times for United for the remainder of the season. In the summer of 2016, Januzaj was sent on another season-long deal to Sunderland. Playing under his former boss Moyes, Januzaj made 25 appearances and provided 3 assists. Sunderland were eventually relegated to the Championship and United decided to put him up for sale.
Back then, the 23-year-old was not short of offers. Celtic and were the favourites to sign him while Championship sides Aston Villa and Leeds United had also shown interest. Nevertheless, the Belgian moved to La Liga side Real Sociedad.
The versatile midfielder, who is regularly deployed on the right-wing, went on to play 28 LaLiga matches. He scored 3 goals and provided 5 assists in that time as he rediscovered the form that once made him one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League. He averaged 2.1 shots per game, with an 80.5% passing accuracy as he went on to win four Man of the Match awards.
His impressive displays caught the eye of Belgium boss Roberto Martinez. In a country that boasts some of the best midfielders, Januzaj was included in the 23-man World Cup squad ahead of the likes of Radja Nainggolan, Origi and Mirallas.
In his latest exploit, Januzaj put in an impressive performance against England in Russia. His 61st-minute strike was enough for Belgium to edge past the Three Lions to finish atop their group. In fact, his sensational display even saw Manchester United fans take to social media to ask whether the Red Devils had inserted a buy-back clause in his contract.
Given the circumstances, one might wonder if United discarded him too quickly. The Red Devils are, ironically, in dire need of a player like him right now. But more than the Manchester outfit, Celtic must rue their missed chance last summer.
Celtic could have easily met United’s asking price and signed Januzaj, who is still a young player with plenty of potential to develop into a world-class talent. While the Scottish giants bowed out of European competition with a whimper last season, Januzaj’s stock is only rising. Hence, Celtic should have fought harder to sign him but for now, there is no use crying over spilt milk.
