Adnan Januzaj's life now after Man Utd's 'new Cristiano Ronaldo' forced to take pay cut

View 3 Images

The way Adnan Januzaj ’s career has played out is drastically different to how he was seen when he first burst onto the scene at Manchester United . The once electrifying teenager, hailed as a generational talent and even compared to Cristiano Ronaldo at one point, is now 31 and was forced to take a pay cut last year.

Two of Januzaj’s former clubs, United and Sunderland , face off in a Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light this Saturday afternoon. Had things panned out as he would have liked, the Belgian would almost certainly have wanted to still be in the Premier League, representing the Red Devils today.

Instead, Januzaj joined his current team Sevilla in 2022, having been released by Real Sociedad. His time in Andalusia has largely not gone to plan, with his appearances at the club being sporadic due to injuries and a lack of form.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

That has changed this season. Thirteen appearances in all competitions is the best he has managed to date, having been sent out on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir in February 2023 and joined Las Palmas on a season-long loan last term.

Januzaj joined Sevilla on bumper wages and was asked to leave by the club in 2024 so that they could balance their books. However, the former Belgium international agreed to take a wage cut in 2025, allowing him to remain at the club and have a greater impact on the pitch.

Speaking ahead of the 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in March, where he was an unused substitute, Januzaj said: "The pay cut? I wanted to play here, giving my best for Sevilla, because I haven’t had the opportunity for the last three years.

"I’ve always felt affection at all the clubs and I try to repay it with my quality and by being able to contribute."

Januzaj was dubbed a wonderkid when he first broke through at United. He joined the club aged 16 in March 2011 from Anderlecht and was promoted to the first team by Sir Alex Ferguson in early 2013.

View 3 Images

The 2013/14 season marked a breakthrough campaign for the winger under David Moyes , where he made 35 appearances and scored four goals. Unfortunately for the then-youngster, he fell out of favour under Louis van Gaal and his next two years at Old Trafford were hugely disappointing.

Consecutive loan spells to Borussia Dortmund in 2015/16 and Sunderland in 2016/17 followed. Januzaj made 25 league appearances and failed to score for the Black Cats.

He signed for Real Sociedad in 2017, where he enjoyed the best stint of his career over the next five seasons, making 168 appearances and scoring 23 goals. He lifted the Copa del Rey with the side prior to joining La Liga rivals Sevilla, where he has finally found his footing.

View 3 Images

Reflecting on the external noise he has had to deal with over the years, Januzaj said earlier this year: "If I listened to everyone’s opinion, I’d be dead, I’d quit football and stay home. Football can change a lot; today you’re the best and tomorrow you can be the worst.

"If you’re not mentally strong, you won’t get anywhere. I’ve always stayed calm, working as hard as possible. I have such natural technique that sometimes on the pitch I seem relaxed, because it’s been my style of play since I was little. But I’ve always been committed to wanting to play football.

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.