Established Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais are believed to be keen on making a loan bid for Manchester United’s promising young winger Adnan Januzaj.
The 21-year-old Belgian is currently on loan at Sunderland until the end of May, under the management of David Moyes. It is worth noting that it was Moyes, then manager at Old Trafford, who gave Januzaj his first shot at Manchester United’s first team back during the 2013-14 season.
Despite Januzaj’s current obligations with Sunderland, however, Lyon are still keen on acquiring Januzaj’s services on loan this month. Indeed, according to French magazine L’Equipe, the Ligue 1 side have asked for the help of their former head coach Gerard Houllier to broker a deal for the player.
Houllier is thought to be close with former Reds manager Louis van Gaal, and has been in contact with the Dutch tactician to enquire about Januzaj. Whether such a move will give Lyon an advantage when it comes to signing the Belgian, however, is unclear.
United, regardless, should highly consider Lyon’s prospective offer. Januzaj is a player of immense potential, and that potential has an opportunity to flourish at Lyon. At the moment, he is getting playing time with Sunderland, but at the expense of him playing in various roles every game.
A review of his games at Sunderland this season reveals that he has played in an assortment of roles – as an attacking midfielder, a right winger, a left winger, and even as a second striker.
While exposing Januzaj to various roles is commendable, such that he could learn a number of things from it, it would certainly deter him from excelling in his primary position, which is that of a right winger. Lyon are willing to give that consistency and stability.
If Januzaj is given continuous playing time in his natural role, then it might as well be what he needs to develop his skills in that role and come back to the United first team a stronger player.
Whether Januzaj will be given this golden opportunity, however, remains to be seen.