Manchester United: Moyes claims credit for Adnan Januzaj and says all Manchester City fans dream of playing for United
IS Manchester United’s 18-year-old legend -in-the-making Adnan Januzaj English? The Telegraph and Express lead with news that Roy Hodgson, the England manger, wants Adnan to play for the Three Lions.
The Mirror notes:
FIFA red tape means there would be a five-year wait, but the 18-year-old has several options having never been called up for Belgium
So. If the hotshot wants to play for mighty England he can wait until he’s 23. Think he will? The FA rules are that any player not born here must play continuously in England for five years from their 18th birthday. Adnan’s Manchester United contract expires at the season’s end. He might not even be he after that.
Young Adnan was born in Brussels, Belgium. He’s never represented them. So. He could play for England.
Says United manger David Moyes:
“The English FA have made their interest in Adnan known. I think he has a choice of three or four countries he can play for. Belgium have already tried to call him up, Albania and Croatia too. I think he would be able to play for England because of residency in five years.”
It’s five, David: Belgium (birth); Albania and Kosovo (parents); Turkey and Serbia (grandparents).
Will he leave United? Moyes again:
“I’m not worried about that. All young boys want to play for Manchester United. There is not a better place for work, coaching, a club that promotes youngsters and a manager who does, too. If I was a young boy, I would want to play for a club that promotes and pushes young players… We will keep Adnan’s feet on the ground. He played for the reserves last Monday and he is a sensible lad who works hard.”
Not every young boy wants to play for United. Gareth Bale wanted to play for Real Madrid. Robin Van Persie pulled on an Arsenal kit when a lad. Wayne Rooney said he will always be an Everton fan; but they couldn’t give him £300,000 a week and glory, so he left. Thousands of boys living in Manchester want to play for Manchester City. Do all boys born in Brussels dream of United? More vitally, do they dream of playing for Moyes’ United?
United were poor for much of yesterday’s match at Sunderland. Januzaj’s brace in their 2-1 victory got them out of jail. But Moyes saw a different match to the sports writers:
“I thought it was a really good performance. We played some really good stuff. I didn’t think we deserved to be a goal down at half-time, even though the goal we conceded was terrible and David De Gea made a very good save.”
And Moyes is quick to take credit for the lads’s success:
“I gave Wayne [Rooney] his debut at 16, I gave Ross [Barkley] his debut at 16, I’ve given a few debuts but Adnan is certainly up there with all those boys. He’s older, he’s 18, but he’s still very young now for a Premier League player if you look at the ages of the boys who normally come into the teams these days.”
Adnan joined United when he was 16, back in 2011. Alex Ferugson picked him as an unused substitute in his last game before retirement.
Posted: 6th, October 2013 | In: manchester united, Sports Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink
