“Special…” – Adnan Januzaj responds to Man United message with emotional claim

Adnan Januzaj is one of many Manchester United academy graduates who have been messaged by the club to discuss his debut.

United are one of the clubs best-known for their academy in world football and they reached a historical milestone in April when Ethan Wheatley made his debut against Sheffield United.

Wheatley, 18, became the 250th academy graduate when he stepped onto the Old Trafford pitch in the final moments of the 4-2 victory.

To celebrate the occasion, the club have since reached out to some of the academy players throughout the years who have made their United debuts.

Januzaj was one of the standout performers for United during the disappointing campaign under David Moyes in 2013/14 in a similar way to Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho starring at OId Trafford ten years later.

The Belgian talent made his debut against Wigan Athletic on 11 August 2013 in the Community Shield, entering the field in the final six minutes after replacing Robin van Persie.

His Premier League debut occurred a month after, as a substitute in the 68th minute for Ashley Young during a 2–0 home victory against Crystal Palace on 14 September.

Whilst his career at Old Trafford did not turn out like he–or anyone–would have hoped, Januzaj spoke glowingly about the experience of making your debut as a Manchester United player.

In response to a message from the club, the now-29-year-old wrote: “To make my debut, it was something special for such a big club for me and special best club in the world!

“It gives you like goosebumps in the heart because of all those people watching you but when you feel confident about yourself, everything goes good!

“But best experience in my life till now.”

Januzaj is currently at Sevilla. He spent five years at Real Sociedad after his permanent United departure in 2017.