Adnan Januzaj - Bright spark in Manchester United's faltering attack

It wasn’t exactly the finish anyone expected – either in terms of the penalty itself or the narrative as a whole. All night, Adnan Januzaj had been one of the very few Manchester United players refusing to shirk responsibility.

The League Cup elimination to Sunderland was by no means the 18-year-old’s best performance for the club so far, and certainly wasn’t his most accurate, but the manner in which he persistently stepped up in spite of that was admirable. Januzaj repeatedly tried to take command. A case in point was the direct free-kick just before the end of the 90 minutes, when he was the only United player standing over the ball.

That all seemed to come to a head for the penalty shoot-out, as the young forward agreed to take one, while vastly more experienced players such as Patrice Evra and Antonio Valencia declined. The reasonable expectation, after all that, would have been Januzaj calmly dispatching the ball into the corner of the net. It would have certainly fit.

It wasn’t to be. Rather than reflecting his recent assurance, the penalty reflected an off-key note. Although Januzaj at least got his shot on target, it wasn’t powerful or accurate enough to go past Vito Mannone.

The reasonable prediction, however, is that the player will quickly recover. As proven by his very persistence, Januzaj does not look the type to be overly affected by such a setback. It was not for nothing that Jose Mourinho joked “he’s not 18, he’s 25”. There’s a distinct maturity to both his play and the way he carries himself. One long-time Old Trafford observer even likened Januzaj to Michael Laudrup at a similar age.

All that, however, raises a more pertinent point about the shoot-out. It was an indictment of United that yet another match without Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie was so dependent on a mere 18-year-old’s attacking abilities. Juan Mata can’t arrive quickly enough to complement him. There can be no disputing, though, the speed with which Januzaj himself has become so dominant.

After just 16 Premier League games, one of the starkest aspects of the 18-year-old’s rise has been how he so brightly stands out amidst the United attack. In a David Moyes team that rather predictably tends to push every single move out to the wing for an orthodox cross in, Januzaj is currently the only player offering any variation, any spark. To put it somewhat bluntly, he thinks outside the box – or, in this case, the rigid template.

For one, Januzaj will move between the lines and actually attempt to beat a man, creating more space that way. A sudden jink away will open up an entire area of the pitch. The Brussels-born attacker attempts more dribbles per game (1.9) than any other player in the United team except Nani, but the Portuguese has played just eight games. The younger attacker is also 15th in the Premier League as a whole in terms of taking on a defender.

At the end of those dribbles, Januzaj is also more productive and imaginative than most of Moyes’ other picks. He tries more shots per game (2.1) than anyone except the two stars in Van Persie (3) and Rooney (3.2), and tries the most through balls in the squad, at 0.3 per match.

The rigidness of United’s present approach does not apply to Januzaj. Reflecting that, there is the ridiculous number of times he is unfairly impeded. This, for all the accusations of diving, is one case where the perceptions are true. Moyes and United have a right to feel aggrieved at the treatment of their young player. At 2.8 per game, Januzaj is fouled more than anyone in the Premier League except Eden Hazard, and his compatriot is only marginally ahead on 2.9. It is testament to the fact opposition defences have already worked out that, if you stop Januzaj, you’ll likely stop the current United.

In-keeping with his complete reluctance to be cowed, however, the youngster is more than able to give it back. Januzaj himself commits 1.3 fouls per game. At United, that is only slightly behind a quartet of conspicuously physical players in Rooney, Phil Jones, Marouane Fellaini and Antonio Valencia.

Not bad for someone who appears so slight. Januzaj is clearly well able to handle himself, let alone a single off-night like Wednesday.