Manchester United: Louis Van Gaal Can't Forget About Adnan Januzaj

With Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao all arriving at United, a talented young prospect waits in the wings and hopes he can still succeed at Manchester United.

That prospect is Adnan Januzaj, and his transition from key player to potential squad player has been swift and devastating.

Without Di Maria, Blind, Herrera, and Falcao in the squad—an admittedly weaker one—in July, Januzaj was seen as one of United's key players heading into the 2014/15 season.

After impressing in his debut first-team campaign, the Belgian international appeared in United's jersey-release commercial alongside Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, David de Gea and Juan Mata.

His appearance alongside the stars of Manchester United showed the faith and responsibility the club had placed on him, unofficially announcing him as one of the core members of the XI.

screenshot taken from Chevy Official Youtube Page

With the latest additions to the squad, however, much of that responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of other players, and that can be viewed in two ways.

On one hand, Januzaj will be able to play without the sort of pressure that can debilitate a young player, able to contribute to the team's efforts but not being heavily relied upon.

On the other hand, Januzaj is a young player who needs games to develop and might find them hard to come by with Mata and Di Maria in front of him. Surely he will start some games, but it is not easy to beat these two out of their positions, and his 27 EPL appearances from last year may prove hard to match.

At this point, all signs point to him being a rotational player and/or impact sub, where he would get sporadic playing time and possibly struggle to be consistent and gain chemistry with the squad.

With his impressive performances from last season, Januzaj is stuck in a very awkward position at the moment: Not quite good enough to crack United's XI but far too good to be loaned out, as he is an option Louis Van Gaal wants available from the bench.

Januzaj, now, is fully aware that he is no longer guaranteed a starting spot and needs to fight for a starting job. He recently netted a hat-trick in an U-21 victory vs. Sunderland and claims to be working on his defensive diligence, which could be the difference between him starting a game or simply making a cameo in it.

Right now, United's diamond formation lacks a true wing position, meaning Januzaj would probably play as a No. 10 or a shuttling center midfielder.

The players who occupy those roles—Herrera, Di Maria,and Mata—are simply better than him at this stage in his career, but he could slot in for Mata if he underwhelms and could possibly play in a deeper position if he improves his defensive prowess.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

While Januzaj does have a large responsibility to impose himself, Van Gaal must be open to recognizing his imposition. Even if he doesn't start very many games, Januzaj should still receive close to the 15 starts he received last year. 

Known for his ability to nurture youth players, Van Gaal should know that United currently have better options than Januzaj but that the 19-year-old is an option for the future who can't be wasted among the stars, a la Scott Sinclair.

Instead, Van Gaal should show the prowess he demonstrated in developing Bastian Schweinsteiger at Bayern Munich, and the faith he has showed in young center-back Tyler Blackett this season.

Januzaj should rotate in the squad regularly, be able to appear in his preferred wing on occasion and be given the chance to usurp Mata should the Spaniard fail to perform.

With United's new arrivals, Louis Van Gaal no longer needs to rely on Adnan Januzaj.

But that doesn't mean he needs to neglect him either.

Stats and info via ESPNFC