Adnan Januzaj

Adnan Januzaj

Januzaj training with Belgium in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Adnan Januzaj
Date of birth	(1995-02-05) 5 February 1995 (age 22)
Place of birth	Brussels, Belgium
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Winger Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team	Sunderland (on loan from Manchester United)
Number	44
Youth career
2001–2005	FC Brussels
2005–2011	Anderlecht
2011–2013	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–	Manchester United	50	(5)
2015–2016	→ Borussia Dortmund (loan)	6	(0)
2016–	→ Sunderland (loan)	19	(0)
National team‡
2014–	Belgium	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:19, 6 March 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:00, 30 August 2016 (UTC)

Adnan Januzaj (Albanian pronunciation: [adˈnan januˈzaj]; born 5 February 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for English club Sunderland, on loan from Manchester United. Born and raised in Brussels, he began his career with Anderlecht before joining Manchester United in 2011 at the age of 16. Januzaj made his full international debut in 2014 and later that year played for Belgium at the World Cup.

Januzaj was born in Brussels, Belgium, where his Kosovar-Albanian family had migrated in 1992 so his father, Abedin, could avoid being recruited by the Yugoslav People's Army. Januzaj's father was the eldest of six children from Istok, Kosovo. Januzaj's uncles, Januz and Shemsedin, were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought for Kosovar independence during the Kosovo War. Since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, Januzaj has regularly visited his extended family there during the summer.

Januzaj began his football career with FC Brussels but joined Anderlecht as a 10-year-old in 2005. He left Anderlecht for Manchester United at the age of 16 in March 2011 after impressing in a skills session in Brussels.

Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson promoted Januzaj to the first-team and he was registered with the number 44 jersey; he did not feature in the remainder of the season, but he was an unused substitute in the final game of the season away to West Bromwich Albion. For his performances during the season, Januzaj won the 2013 Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award. He was included in the first-team squad for the 2013–14 pre-season tour of Asia and scored in the final game of the tour against Hong Kong side Kitchee. He also started in Rio Ferdinand's testimonial; United lost 3–1 to Sevilla, but Januzaj provided the assist for United's only goal.