Manchester United Winners and Losers if Van Gaal Stays

Loser: Adnan Januzaj

This one is painful in so many aspects. After his breakthrough season under David Moyes, Januzaj has seemingly become a pariah in Van Gaal’s view. Following a bright start to the campaign, the manager decided it would be in the player’s best interest to go out on loan given his likely limited playing time with Manchester United. But a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund proved incapable of revitalizing the Belgian’s United career, as he has featured only twice since returning.

Part of the reasoning behind his failed stint in Germany is that he never got the chance to play. Perhaps the suitor for his loan was the wrong choice, rather he should have gone to a team where he could have been a regular.

Regardless, Van Gaal’s intuition proved correct and the 21-year-old is now struggling to even make the bench for the Red Devils. At this stage in his career, Januzaj is caught between the academy level and senior level. He’s clearly outgrown playing for the under-21s but has yet to reach the ability required to compete with the first team. When the season finishes, his development could unfortunately be seen as a lost cause.