metal_guitarist Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 A very young U19s side are playing in a 6-a-side tournament in Germany at the minute: http://mercedes-benz-junior-cup.de/de/popup/live-stream.html (all of the tournament games are being shown on that link) Our next match is against Schalke and on now. We've lost 2-1 to Hoffenheim (Angel Gomes) and drawn 1-1 with Brugge (Callum Gribbin) so far. Squad: 1 George Dorrington 2 Tyrell Warren 3 Jake Kenyon 4 Callum Whelan 5 Thomas Sang 6 Faustin Makela 7 Indy Boonen 8 Joshua Doughty 9 Kanye Diedrick-Roberts 10 Callum Gribbin 11 Angel Gomes 13 Oliver Byrne Only Doughty is ineligible for the U18s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pangaea Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Looks like a very young squad, which is how we've done it for many years now, to get them to play against older players. Any idea if the other teams in the tournament are fairly young too? Not too impressive results so far, but that's not the main thing at that level. It's all about development. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 It definitely shows, the rest of the teams look far ahead physically and mentally. The rest of the teams appear to be much older. Just lost 6-2 to Rapid Vienna who were a level above. Gribbin has been really poor, constantly giving the ball away, although he did score a great solo goal just now and neither Dorrington or Byrne have done that well in goal. Angel Gomes and Callum Whelan have been our best players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio_V Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Pep is going to give us indigestion for a while, isn't he? I hope he hates powder blue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pangaea Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Would be great if Pep continued the 'trend' of going where LVG has been, but he also likes to go to ready-made teams, and we're hardly that right now. Unfortunately I think he's going to City, and with the limitless resources there and with FFP not worth the paper it's written on, we could have some rough years ahead. No matter what team he goes to in England, he won't find the going quite as easy as in the past though. Teams are more equal there, and now even the midtable and lower teams have the means to buy quality players, so I doubt he'll rake up practically all trophies. Bit tragic that we've evolved from not only being a tool for players to increase their wages, but managers too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Race 9 Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Would be great if Pep continued the 'trend' of going where LVG has been, but he also likes to go to ready-made teams, and we're hardly that right now. Unfortunately I think he's going to City, and with the limitless resources there and with FFP not worth the paper it's written on, we could have some rough years ahead.No matter what team he goes to in England, he won't find the going quite as easy as in the past though. Teams are more equal there, and now even the midtable and lower teams have the means to buy quality players, so I doubt he'll rake up practically all trophies. Bit tragic that we've evolved from not only being a tool for players to increase their wages, but managers too. couldnt agree more with a post, says exactly what I feel too....the sad thing is the people running the club seem to be happy as long as the club is raking in the money(and at the end of the day cutting away all the bull thats what most clubs are now) the only good thing I have see Utd related for a long time has come from the CEO at adidas( I know its a bit of the tail wagging the dog...ie sponsors should have no say in how a club is run etc) regarding the playing style that will have an effect as the powers at be wont want the sponsors being unhappy, and NB that deal was subject to certain conditions namely UCL etc etc from your post re pep I agree sadly it wont be him and I am very afraid it will be giggs no matter what.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Januzaj has been recalled, wonder how much of a chance he'll get this time around Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pangaea Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Januzaj has been recalled, wonder how much of a chance he'll get this time around Most interesting. Didn't know he even could be recalled, sounded like it was up to Dortmund (as strange as that is if it was a 'normal' loan deal). Barely got a kick in Dortmund lately, so the right move, and I hope he gets chances and does well now. The talent is there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizzy Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Think it is up to Dortmund to cancel it but we can ask them. And it isn't like he is having an impact. They must have been happy to do so. Hopefully he can feature for us. He can't play for another club this season now can he? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Think it is up to Dortmund to cancel it but we can ask them. And it isn't like he is having an impact. They must have been happy to do so. Hopefully he can feature for us. He can't play for another club this season now can he? No he can't because he's played for us and Dortmund. We reached an agreement with Dortmund to cancel it due to lack of game time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizzy Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Yeah thought so on both counts. Good. Hopefully we can use him. Get him the starting 11 for the FA Cup game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigcwwe Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Happy to hear Januzaj has been recalled, didn't really get much game time at Dortmund but he will play more for us in the second half of the season as its not like Depay is doing much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Race 9 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 looking forward to Januzaj stepping up to the plate he needs to kick on now with current squad the door is open for a starting berth for him...if he puts the effort in been lucky enough to see all of Dortmund's games this year he wouldn't get a sniff there(last 10-20 mins as sub) says it all really he can walk into first XI for us:brock: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio_V Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Well, that is our new winger signing. I assume he will be playing as the 9 right out of the gate.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 What year do FIFA use for the no more than 2 clubs in a year anyway? Due to the international nature of footie i thought it was done on calendar years so he probably hasn't even played for Dortmund this year. I also assume there is some sort of exemption as as far as i thought you could go on several month long loans in the same season to diff clubs or is that only allowed if all are in the same country. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhikapp Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Not sure but Ben Arfa wasn't allowed to join Nice last January due to already playing for Newcastle U21s and Hull. If Januzaj could show a little bit of his form under Moyes, it will definitely be a boost for us. He already scored for us this season hasnt he? It was weird why he was loaned out in the first place tbf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizzy Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Wonder if LVG will give him back the No.11 shirt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebsy Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Can't say I care at all about Januzaj being recalled. In fact, I'd totally forgotten about him such was his woefulness when ever he stepped on the pitch for us for the last 18 months before he went on loan. And it doesn't sound like he did much at Dortmund either. Obviously it would be great if he came back, went in to the team and started putting in awesome performances but there is nothing to suggest that will be the case, other than the 'talent being there' that we didn't see once in those aforementioned 18 months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebsy Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Well, I certainly don't recall plenty of times. Sure, he maybe has shown a few glimpses, but he's pretty much been awful. 2/3 good-at-best performances in that time really isn't noteworthy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Gonzo Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Januzaj was really disappointing for Dortmund. A period of transition was expected as he missed the pre-season but he hasn't shown any sign of improvement. Beside a good friendly match against St. Pauli Januzaj didn't contribute at all. Imho it's unusual that such a young player can't adapt to a different playing style. Therefore he should stay in the Premier League whether at United or another loan spell. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_ Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Well, I certainly don't recall plenty of times. Sure, he maybe has shown a few glimpses, but he's pretty much been awful. 2/3 good-at-best performances in that time really isn't noteworthy. This . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Januzaj still has so much left to improve on if he wants to be a top level player, hopefully Dortmund wasn't a complete waste for him but he's been living off a few bright performances in the middle of the Moyes malaise for too long. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Wonder if LVG will give him back the No.11 shirt. Already has according to the website. Think he's being written off way too quickly, he's 20 ffs. Very few players at 20 are able to display the consistency needed to be a world class player. If he's still the same in 4/5 years then fine but he's way too young to make a judgement now. Playing in this system under Van Gaal isn't helping though. In other news, Ashley Fletcher has joined Barnsley on loan which leaves a nice Marcus Rashford shaped hole up front for the U21s. Will Keane is going to be in and around the first team as well now that he's back from loan and Nick Powell is apparently going out on loan when he recovers from a calf strain. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 How many great players reach 20 with only a handful of games where they can say they have genuinely influenced the result of a game? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Cristiano Ronaldo for one. Very good technically but inconsistent, had the mental side though to his game that Januzaj doesn't. Raheem Sterling has had 1 good full season, the others have been a mix of brilliance and very poor, and as you know some players develop later than others, Harry Kane being a prime example. Then there's people like Coquelin, Ryan Mason who looked nowhere near good enough around 20 but are comfortably playing Premier League football at top sides. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pangaea Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Think he's being written off way too quickly, he's 20 ffs. Very few players at 20 are able to display the consistency needed to be a world class player. If he's still the same in 4/5 years then fine but he's way too young to make a judgement now. Very much this! Maybe it's the zero patience generation that impacts things, but it's ridiculous how early players are written off, even players who show clear signs of talent to make it at the top, which Januzaj has done. Some of the same about Depay. Pretty obvious the talent is there (whether you laugh at such a term or not), but we can also all agree that he hasn't lived up to expectations this season. That said, there have been some worrying rumours of 'bad attitude', being a bit lazy, so assuming that is correct, I hope Januzaj gets that out of the system. Talent alone isn't enough to make it at that level. Good to see Fletcher going out on loan, replacing Pearson in Barnsley. Must mean we were pleased with how they did things with him. Will obviously impact results for the U21s, but that's not that important compared with getting a player ready for first team football. Maybe he won't be good enough to make it for us (time will tell), but it's important that we do what we can to make sure our youngsters get professional football careers, whether that is with us or somewhere else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebsy Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Fwiw, I'm not writing Januzaj off, and I'm not sure other people are. We're just commenting on how poor he has been thus far. He could suddenly come on leaps and bounds and fulfil his initial promise and indeed his apparent potential, it's just that so far he has not done anything of the sort. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Cristiano Ronaldo for one. Very good technically but inconsistent, had the mental side though to his game that Januzaj doesn't. Raheem Sterling has had 1 good full season, the others have been a mix of brilliance and very poor, and as you know some players develop later than others, Harry Kane being a prime example. Then there's people like Coquelin, Ryan Mason who looked nowhere near good enough around 20 but are comfortably playing Premier League football at top sides. Ronaldo? Not even close to comparable. He was inconsistent but also semi-regular brilliance as Nani was at that age. Januzaj isn't doing that. Sterling is another one who isn't comparable, there's being inconsistent which is understandable (as Martial is currently) and there's not doing anything of note after a bright start. Kane is a good example of a late developer, but utility squad players like Mason aren't the same as flair players who peak early and fade quicker. Januzaj is running out of time if he ever wants to be a first team player here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Good to see Fletcher going out on loan, replacing Pearson in Barnsley. Must mean we were pleased with how they did things with him. Will obviously impact results for the U21s, but that's not that important compared with getting a player ready for first team football. Maybe he won't be good enough to make it for us (time will tell), but it's important that we do what we can to make sure our youngsters get professional football careers, whether that is with us or somewhere else. It's a shame it didn't work out for Rothwell there too, good player but he's never fit. Remind me a bit of Matt James from a few years back. Fingers crossed Fletcher can hit the ground running, I think his physicality will suit League 1. I don't think he'll make it here in the long run but as you say, it's about making sure the youngsters get professional football careers. Fwiw, I'm not writing Januzaj off, and I'm not sure other people are. We're just commenting on how poor he has been thus far. He could suddenly come on leaps and bounds and fulfil his initial promise and indeed his apparent potential, it's just that so far he has not done anything of the sort. Wasn't aimed at anyone in particular in here, was more of a general comment. Lots of people in the usual places like Twitter, RedCafe etc (all those hives of high human intelligence) are spouting the usual crap about a young player who's not quite performing up to scratch at the minute Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_guitarist Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Ronaldo? Not even close to comparable. He was inconsistent but also semi-regular brilliance as Nani was at that age. Januzaj isn't doing that. Sterling is another one who isn't comparable, there's being inconsistent which is understandable (as Martial is currently) and there's not doing anything of note after a bright start. Kane is a good example of a late developer, but utility squad players like Mason aren't the same as flair players who peak early and fade quicker. Januzaj is running out of time if he ever wants to be a first team player here. I don't think he's really been given the chance to do anything of note though save the start of this season. In the last 18 months, he's spent it playing wing-back, striker, on the bench, playing in a system that appears to completely stifle flair and creativity that he thrives off of, and out on loan at a club he was always going to struggle to get into the team. If he's playing as a 10 or as a winger and constantly not performing in a free-flowing attacking system then fine but he hasn't really been given that opportunity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
headshotbg Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Ronaldo? Not even close to comparable. He was inconsistent but also semi-regular brilliance as Nani was at that age. Januzaj isn't doing that. Sterling is another one who isn't comparable, there's being inconsistent which is understandable (as Martial is currently) and there's not doing anything of note after a bright start. Kane is a good example of a late developer, but utility squad players like Mason aren't the same as flair players who peak early and fade quicker. Januzaj is running out of time if he ever wants to be a first team player here. I completely agree, especially the last part. It's easy to speak now that he's back, but Borussia was probably a level a bit too high for his current ability. He had as much chance of making it as a starting 11 player there as he would've had if he had stayed... Probably had more chance at Utd actually. He should've gone to another PL or even Championship team IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebsy Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I think the sort of side he would really have the best chance of flourishing at would be someone like Crystal Palace or Everton, or maybe below that Swansea or Bournemouth. Saying that, as he can't go anywhere else now it's a bit of a moot point. Also, I'm not even sure he'd get in the Palace side right now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redshift Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Another player struggling under LvG. Shock horror. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 And Tuchel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldberg Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I never understood all the hype about Januzaj when he was in the reserves. He's done nothing to suggest he's anything other than a decent back up in his career to date. That's all I think he will ever be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 The harsh truth is he doesn't have the explosive burst of pace to play out wide and he doesn't have the brain to play in the middle right now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSB Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Yeah thought so on both counts. Good. Hopefully we can use him. Get him the starting 11 for the FA Cup game. He's not played for a month and it's three weeks since Dortmund's last match due to the winter break, so I doubt he'll be match fit in absolute terms, let alone by van Gaal's standards. What year do FIFA use for the no more than 2 clubs in a year anyway? Due to the international nature of footie i thought it was done on calendar years so he probably hasn't even played for Dortmund this year. I also assume there is some sort of exemption as as far as i thought you could go on several month long loans in the same season to diff clubs or is that only allowed if all are in the same country. I think it's typically done based on the calendar of the new club's league (Jan to Dec or July to June), with dispensation allowed if you're moving from one calendar to another. Think the 'emergency' loans like those used by the FL are exceptions, just as they are to the transfer windows. How many great players reach 20 with only a handful of games where they can say they have genuinely influenced the result of a game? David Beckham? Paul Scholes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Race 9 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 And Tuchel. as stated I have seen all of Dortmund's games Tuchel didn't need Janazuj, as players in first team are head and shoulders above him, and the team as a whole are playing fantastic stuff under him İlkay Gündoğan/Henrikh Mkhitaryan are looking back to their best and in Julian Weigl a young kid signed for bugger all would walk into our first team, going to be a german international for many years Januzuj career has stalled and infact gone backwards.....however he has been the subject of the modern social/ media over hype in that a young player has a good game he is called... perm anyone from list or all of the below;) wonderkid world class legend the sad facts are he wasn't doing it on a consistent level before he went on loan....and he has hardly been used by BVB so he will be off the pace anyway, cant expect much from him until he gets up to speed, hope it works for the lad the harsh reality is between him and depay is there any difference, the door is open for 1 of them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSB Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 David Beckham? Paul Scholes? Doubling down on this cos it's a relatively recent phenomenon and it grates how many players are written off if they've not set the world on fire in their teens. Stats based on the season they turned 20. Andres Iniesta (17 league games) Franck Ribery (0 top league games) Diego Costa (6 Portuguese league games) Yaya Toure (58 Belgian league games) Radamel Falcao (11 Argentine league games) Robert Lewandowski (32 Polish league games) Didier Drogba (0 games) Eric Cantona (14 league games) Someone else can do the list of kids who looked nailed on world beaters and then burned out. Funny thing about the Ronaldo discussion is that plenty of people wanted him gone in the summer of '06. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeafParrot Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thats nice and all, but this is the season Januzaj turns 21. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 David Beckham? Paul Scholes? Ah so just the two decades ago then. Ribery being the only winger on the list, a guy who was playing extensively in amateur leagues. And one this millennium, kinda the point. And he may be the new Iniesta, but the reasons keeping Scholes and Iniesta back aren't the same ones holding Januzaj back are they? And as pointed out, Januzaj is 21 in less than a month. By that stage Iniesta was in the middle of playing almost 50 games in a season for a half decent Barca side and Scholes was getting 10 league goals in a season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icondacarver Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Funny thing about the Ronaldo discussion is that plenty of people wanted him gone in the summer of '06. I agree, at this point in Ronaldos career many still saw him as an ineffective show-pony with the odd bit of brilliance. Even on this forum so many people could not fathom why SAF was trying so hard to make him stay and the sums bandied around for a move were hardly even double digits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icondacarver Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Januzaj can still do some good things but he has suffered in that he actually broke into the team at a time when it was going through flux. When I see what he has to offer and imagine him being inserted into our more established teams from years back, it would have been seamless. In Moyes season, there was a run of games where he was actually looked at as the saviour of matches and then he fatigued, started forcing things and diving like an Olympian Ashley Young. Last season saw many players not flourish due to LVG and I am not shocked he was one of them. Then he goes on loan to Dortmund who have a 1st team that would wipe the floor with ours and the inevitable happened. Give him some more time or at least a more realistic loan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 The Ronaldo comparison is nonsense. Ronaldo scored 12 goals the season he turned 21 and was a regular in the national team. Januzaj's entire career has had less moments of brilliance than some single games from Ronaldo around that period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VamPook Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/odion-ighalo-happy-to-stay-at-watford-only-1-club-could-tempt-him-away-sun/ Well sign him up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icondacarver Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 The Ronaldo comparison is nonsense. Ronaldo scored 12 goals the season he turned 21 and was a regular in the national team. Januzaj's entire career has had less moments of brilliance than some single games from Ronaldo around that period. It is not nonsense unless you do not understand the meaning of the word comparison. That said, those that mentioned Ronaldo are not saying Januzaj is Ronnie MKII but that to some CR7 was also being seen as a player not destined for the top when he was 20 but turned into the worlds best. RSBs point that some actually wanted rid of CR7 at one point shows where he stood at that junction in his career. Januzaj is not going to become the worlds best but to write him off at 20 would be similarly foolhardy because somewhere in there is a good premier league player more especially when you are a club that has the likes of Phil Jones and Valencia as regulars (when fit) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryseaess Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 On Ronaldo's debut I said he'd be the best player in the world one day, as did a lot of other people. I don't think anyone has said that about Januzaj. I want Januzaj to succeed, obviously. I'm just not too sure if he's good enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddidiodion Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 It is not nonsense unless you do not understand the meaning of the word comparison. That said, those that mentioned Ronaldo are not saying Januzaj is Ronnie MKII but that to some CR7 was also being seen as a player not destined for the top when he was 20 but turned into the worlds best. RSBs point that some actually wanted rid of CR7 at one point shows where he stood at that junction in his career. Januzaj is not going to become the worlds best but to write him off at 20 would be similarly foolhardy because somewhere in there is a good premier league player more especially when you are a club that has the likes of Phil Jones and Valencia as regulars (when fit) Ronaldo was already doing the things that would later make him a great player sporadically by 21, Januzaj isn't, hasn't and that is a massive problem for him because it's all well and good to hone weapons you already have, it's an entirely different proposition to develop them from scratch. Mainly because it just doesn't happen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizzy Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Ah Ronaldo's debut. Got to be one of my best memories in football. Knew he would be great for us. Not knowing just how great though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSB Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thats nice and all, but this is the season Januzaj turns 21. And as pointed out, Januzaj is 21 in less than a month. By that stage Iniesta was in the middle of playing almost 50 games in a season for a half decent Barca side and Scholes was getting 10 league goals in a season. Aye, and the question was: How many great players reach 20 with only a handful of games where they can say they have genuinely influenced the result of a game? (My emphasis). Ah so just the two decades ago then. Ribery being the only winger on the list, a guy who was playing extensively in amateur leagues. And one this millennium, kinda the point. And he may be the new Iniesta, but the reasons keeping Scholes and Iniesta back aren't the same ones holding Januzaj back are they? Err, yeah, two decades ago. Since we're discussing the development of great players it would seem logical to evaluate players at the end of their careers to establish whether they have achieved greatness. I'm sure plenty of people in 2007 would have pegged Kaka to go on to be an all-time great, likewise Torres in 2010 and numerous others; but history isn't so kind. Obviously younger players who've performed at a high level for a substantial time must have broken through earlier to have built up a sustained period of unquestionable success and so won't feature in the counter argument, so you're left with players typically in their mid to late 30s who would turned 20 15-20 years ago. And for what it's worth, in a bid to sidestep the inevitable tedious argument about what constitutes 'great' I limited my analysis to players from the last few Ballon D'Or longlists (plus a couple of United legends), so it's a particularly small sample by design. Making a deal of the lack of wingers assumes Januzaj will end up a winger, which I disagree with (not least due to the pace issues you mention, though I do think they're overplayed); and you might as well gauge off his U21 games if you're factoring the French amateur leagues. And yeah, I reckon the fact that 20 year olds are seldom physically and mentally developed enough to have a sustained significant impact at the highest level is as relevant today as it was then. All of which is something of a sideshow to the wider point - by the time a player is out of his teens he has to be proven to be amazing or scrapped. All this talk in here about how he does or will compare to Ronaldo: whisper it, but there are a significant number of levels below Ronaldo's peak which would be perfectly acceptable for us, particularly at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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