Adnan Januzaj suffers injury setback on only second start of 2025/26 season

Adnan Januzaj’s journey from Manchester United’s academy prospect to seasoned La Liga winger has rarely followed a straight line.

The Belgian arrived at Carrington as a 16-year-old and quickly grew into one of the brightest talents of his age group.

Breaking into the first team under David Moyes during the 2013/14 season, Januzaj seemingly offered Old Trafford glimpses of a potential long-term star on the wings, but it was not to be.

As managers changed and United’s squad evolved, his role faded.

Loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland couldn’t fully reignite his momentum, and by 2017 he left Old Trafford permanently, swapping the Premier League for a fresh start at Real Sociedad.

In San Sebastián he rebuilt his reputation, playing more than 130 league games and becoming a creative outlet in a side regularly pushing for European football.

Then in 2022, Januzaj chose another new chapter with a free transfer to Sevilla, signing a long-term deal until 2026.

However, the winger struggled to get game-time, prompting loans to Başakşehir and then Las Palmas, where he showed flashes of his old sharpness in the 2024/25 campaign.

He returned to Sevilla last summer for what increasingly looked like a decisive season, having accepted a reduced salary and beginning to earn more trust, and minutes, under new coach Matías Almeyda.

However, that hopeful reset has hit another barrier.

On what was only his second start of the 2025/26 season, away to Espanyol, Adnan Januzaj was forced off in the 34th minute.

The 30-year-old seemingly experienced a muscular problem in his leg, leaving the pitch visibly distressed as he was replaced by Chidera Ejuke.

Unfortunately for his side, Sevilla went on to lose the game 2-1.

This latest setback comes after a hamstring issue on the opening weekend and follows a pattern of muscle and ankle problems that disrupted his loan spell at Las Palmas last season.

Fitness, more than talent, has become the recurring barrier in his attempts to put together a sustained run of form at club level.

For Adnan Januzaj, the timing is especially cruel. With his Sevilla contract running until 2026 and his role in the squad still under scrutiny after loan spells and limited impact since 2022, every opportunity to impress carries extra weight.

The focus now turns to medical assessments and how long this latest absence will last.