Adnan Januzaj's immediate future at Manchester United is in the balance, with Louis van Gaal considering whether the 20-year-old should go out on loan next season.
The forward has struggled to establish himself under the new manager after last year's breakthrough campaign under David Moyes. Januzaj had to wait until 20 October to be given a first start by Van Gaal – in a 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion – and he has made only eight in total.
Despite signing a new five-year deal last October which the Belgian’s agent claimed rewarded him better than “Ronaldo and Messi when they were 18” and being handed Ryan Giggs’s iconic No11 shirt for this term, Januzaj’s career at Old Trafford has stalled.
With four matches left of the season he has made a total of 20 appearances for United and has yet to score. Last year he made 35 appearances of which 19 were starts, scoring four times.
This lack of regular football and the potential arrival of PSV Eindhoven’s Memphis Depay may convince Van Gaal that Januzaj should be allowed to consider a temporary move, at least. Depay is PSV’s top scorer in the Eredivisie with 21 goals in 28 starts.
This return helped fire PSV to the Dutch championship and is an impressive tally for a player who, like Januzaj, has thus far operated mainly as a wide player. As Depay is only a year older than Januzaj his arrival would offer a further threat to the latter’s first-team prospects.
Phil Jones is hopeful of signing a new deal at the club with negotiations ongoing regarding the 23-year-old's fresh terms. The central defender's current contract expires at the end of next season and it is thought Jones will follow Chris Smalling in committing his future to United until at least 2019.
Although Jones is currently injured he and Smalling have impressed Van Gaal in the seven times they have played together this year, though this small number of appearances in tandem continues to question their ability to form a regular partnership.
Van Gaal still favours adding at least one central defender in the close season, Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels remaining the manager’s No1 choice.
