Adnan Januzaj in Danger of Becoming the Forgotten Man at Manchester United

It got lost in all the fuss surrounding Radamel Falcao, but the Colombian striker wasn't the only high-profile omission from the Manchester United squad picked to play Southampton on Sunday.

Just as there was no place for Falcao among the 18 players Louis van Gaal decided were best equipped to beat Ronald Koeman's side at Old Trafford, there was no room for Adnan Januzaj, either.

That Van Gaal decided to leave Falcao out of his squad entirely was surprising. That Januzaj was forced to watch from the stands, too, was less so. 

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The 19-year-old hasn't started a game for more than two months. His last appearance came as a second-half substitute against Stoke on New Year's Day. He came on at left wing-back and was poor. He's started just four games all season. By this stage last season he had 12. But he's not only found more competition for places under Van Gaal, he's also struggled to find a role. 

The Dutchman has already used him as a wing-back, both left and right, a holding midfielder and a striker. He hasn't looked like the same player who burst through from the under-21s last season.

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When the fans found out that Falcao wouldn't play any part against Southampton, there were varying degrees of outrage. The general feeling, however, was that he should have at least been on the bench.

But there weren't too many insisting it was a mistake to leave out Januzaj. At his post-match press conference following the 1-0 defeat, the United manager was pushed more than once about why Falcao had been deemed surplus to requirements. He wasn't asked about Januzaj once.

It's quite a fall from grace for a player who was one of the only positives to come out of a disastrous season under David Moyes. 

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With all of Van Gaal's attacking players fit again, it's difficult to see Januzaj getting a chance to impress any time soon. 

Van Gaal will have the same selection problems when United visit QPR on Saturday. Falcao is likely to come back into the team, especially after United failed to have a shot on target against Southampton. Januzaj, though, might not be so lucky.

This was supposed to be his big year. A season to build on his impressive debut campaign, wearing the No. 11 shirt handed to him after Ryan Giggs' retirement. Instead, he was made to watch United lose to Southampton on Sunday sat alongside Anderson and Ben Amos. It's not quite the company he was hoping to keep this season.