Adnan Januzaj blames Louis van Gaal for shattering his confidence at Manchester United
ADNAN JANUZAJ says the confidence that marked him out as one of football's biggest young talents was shattered by former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.
Januzaj was regarded as one of the game's brightest hopes after bursting onto the scene as an 18-year-old with a string of impressive displays for United.
Sir Alex Ferguson believed he could go on to be a great while Ryan Giggs felt he was a better prospect than a young Wayne Rooney.
But four years on the Belgian is trying to rebuild his career in Spain with Real Sociedad after failing to make the progress expected of him.
And Januzaj, 22, believes controlling Dutchman Van Gaal played a part in stalling his career.
Januzaj said: "There was not the same freedom. A winger needs that confidence, a manager telling you, 'Go and take people on'. With him, it was a slow passing game.
"For some it was difficult. You could see some players were not enjoying the football. The manager and I had many difficult meetings.
"I was frustrated and everyone could see that I was not the same Adnan as the first year. I was sometimes even in the stands.
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"When you work hard in training and then get left out, it's hard for a young guy.
"It was not only me. As a footballer, if you think too much on the pitch, it is never good. You need instinct in your play.
"When the ball came to us, we had to stop and think, 'What are we going to do with it here? I can't lose the ball'."
Speaking to the Mail, Januzaj admitted it reached the stage where he feared he would not be picked if he played his normal game instead of following Van Gaal's orders.
He added: "Yes. That kind of stuff comes into your head. It was difficult - training sessions too.
"Under Ferguson, it was always intense. People wanted to win in training. It started to change.
"It was not the United we used to see winning games and winning trophies. Teams used to come to Old Trafford and be scared to play.
"I had the sense that some teams started coming to Old Trafford thinking,'We can beat them today easy'."
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