David Moyes witnessed first-hand just how outstanding a young prospect Wayne Rooney was at Everton.
It seemed like the Manchester United legend was destined from greatness since bursting onto the scene at just 16 as the Englishman’s game and physique seemed akin to that of a seasoned professional.
Wayne Rooney was a truly special talent and looking back, it comes as no surprise that he went on to become a legend of the game.
Over the years, United have had several incredible wonderkids on their books — from Nani and Adnan Januzaj more than a decade ago to Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo now.
David Moyes compared Adnan Januzaj to a young Wayne Rooney
Januzaj, in particular stands out as he was incredible under David Moyes when he initially set the world alight and it seemed like all the stars were aligning for him as Wayne Rooney was still at Old Trafford to mentor him.
Adnan Januzaj’s wand of a left foot, classy technique and bullet of a strike were there for all to see — with Moyes likening him to a young Rooney just six games into his senior career at Manchester United.
David Moyes told The Telegraph: “Adnan Januzaj is, in my managerial time, the best young talent up there with Wayne Rooney. You can see what he can become. When we had Wayne at Everton you could see the potential.”
“Adnan Januzaj has got all that at the same age as Wayne. He’s one of the best young talents in Europe and he will go on to become one of the best players.”
“When we went on tour last year, he was one of the pluses. He did very well. There was a lot said about him. We came back and within a month we could not believe the change in him, he could go past people inside, outside, to the left, to the right.”
After comparing Januzaj to Wayne Rooney, David Moyes went a step further and likened him to Chris Waddle as well: “He had a bit of Chris Waddle about him. Chris Waddle used to slow you down and make you feel comfortable and before you knew it he was gone. Adnan has that. He can eliminate people. Yes, of course, he was young and he was going to not do it all the time but he has incredible skill, a good temperament and with the right degree of arrogance.”
“Wayne was different but in the same way as we saw something special in him at Everton we saw that in Adnan Januzaj. I can only see the boy going right to the top.”
Where is Adnan Januzaj now?
However, the Belgian’s career did not pan out the way one expected for the Red Devils.
Since leaving Manchester United in 2017, Januzaj has some journey.
The 30-year-old, who is currently on loan at Las Palmas from Sevilla previously had a stint at Istanbul Basaksehir and even played for Real Sociedad.
David Moyes will admit that he was off the mark when he compared to Januzaj to a young Wayne Rooney, who looks like a classic case of unfulfilled potential.
