Adnan Januzaj Slams Jose Mourinho And Louis Van Gaal Over His Treatment At Manchester United

Adnan Januzaj has blasted former Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal for not believing in him the same way as Sir Alex Ferguson did.

The 26-year-old former United winger came through the youth academy and was thrust into the first team under David Moyes in the 2013-14 season.

However, Januzaj struggled to maintain a regular presence in the first team under both Mourinho and Van Gaal after Moyes was sacked.

The Belgium international was sent out on loan spells to both Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland before he signed for current club Real Sociedad in 2017.

United's head of first-team development, Nicky Butt, admitted in a 2019 interview that Januzaj was the Red Devils' biggest disappointment after coming through the academy.

"For me, the biggest disappointment at this club was Adnan Januzaj," the 46-year-old said at the time.

"I don't think I've seen a player, probably since Ryan [Giggs], who was as good as that.

"He was unbelievable. In my eyes, he should have gone on to be a world superstar."

Januzaj has now responded to Butt's comments by saying what he said was "true," but he also pinned the blame on the different managers that he had at United.

The Sociedad player told ESPN: "What he [Butt] said, it's true. But the only problem is that I didn't have the right coach to get me on my level and to push me.

"When Van Gaal came, I was playing one game out of six, so it was difficult, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?'

"At United, I didn't have that many chances, especially when Van Gaal and Mourinho came. When they came there it was more difficult for me because I was a young player.

"I was 18 or 19 and I just had to accept things. Before that, I had people who believed in me like Ferguson.

"If he had stayed there longer, I think I would have played longer for Manchester United."

Januzaj could face his former club on Thursday as Sociedad and United compete in the first leg of their round-of-32 Europa League clash.

The Belgian winger also hit out at claims that he should have worked harder to win a place back under Mourinho and Van Gaal, saying he has "always trained hard since I started football."

Januzaj added: "The only thing that the coach can use against you is if you're not training well, but I know myself, I was training well.

"It's never been an excuse for me, I've always trained hard since I started football."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Football, Manchester United, red devils, Premier League, Special One

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9