Adnan Januzaj relishing the opportunity to set the record straight in Spain after Manchester United disappointment

Exclusive interview: The former United star tells The Independent about getting his career back on track with Real Sociedad and overcoming adversity

Adnan Januzaj joined Real Sociedad in 2017 (Real Sociedad)

Adnan Januzaj seeks to take a path less travelled, and one that takes a rapid ascent after heading for the exit door at Manchester United. His close friend Paul Pogba has traversed it most recently, and now it is his turn to try his luck.

There is no resentment, ill will, nor regret. The 22-year-old Belgium international is forever grateful for his footballing education at Carrington, one that moulded him, in his words, into a man.

Within Real Sociedad’s Zubieta training facility, Januzaj is sat crutch-in-hand. This injury is another obstacle that has been thrown his way since that explosion onto the scene at Old Trafford as a teenager under David Moyes in 2013. He was, they would sing, the "boy who can do anything."

Januzaj is a player who is no stranger to hardship or criticism. It is he alone that can get his career back on track, and at a young age he speaks maturely having been through the wringer and now looking to emerge the other side in Spain.

Januzaj is starting over with Real Sociedad in La Liga (Real Sociedad)

“I gave up a lot,” Januzaj says, talking about how much he has sacrificed in spite of those who question his commitment to football.

“Everyone likes to go out with friends and that kind of stuff, but I always had that mindset of football and people behind me that were very strict with me. My dad was very strict.

“He always told me: ‘Do you want to be a professional? Because this is how it is going to be.’ I wanted to be a professional player. Now, I give a lot of credit to him because he is the one that always pushed me further and further to try and become better and better.”

Whether it was swapping his home country to develop in England, or choosing Belgium over both Albania and Kosovo at international level, however, it is clear that Adnan is in the driving seat.

“My dad always told me to go wherever I felt would be good. Obviously he looks after me, I have an agent or two, but I’ve always been told to just work hard on the pitch and the rest will come. I live with my family because I like to have them around me. These are the people that will always help you, no matter what.”

Januzaj in action against Real Madrid (Real Sociedad)

Prior to the summer, Januzaj’s mentality became widely reported in England as the problem behind disappointing loan spells with Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland. Money and a lack of focus were touted as reasons for a stagnant period, but he is relishing the opportunity to set the record straight in San Sebastian.

“These are the people that don’t know anything about football. I don’t care, I keep working hard. You can only go in one direction, and that is to shut those people up. Once you do it, they will look ridiculous.

“It will feel amazing, I will feel very good because those people were chatting sh*t about me,” he smiles.

“If anything, I’m even happier because it gives me more power. It gives me the feeling: I want to show these people that if they want to talk badly of me, I’ll show them. It’s a challenge for me, I don’t mind. They can say whatever, I know that it is not true.”

Januzaj has backed himself to deliver in Spain (Real Sociedad)

Former Manchester United coach Jimmy Ryan used to speak of the ‘arrogance of timing’. In Argentina, they call it la pausa - the pause.

When a player is good enough, he has the confidence to hold possession before choosing the right moment to unlock a door on the pitch that others seldom see.

Playing in Eusebio Sacristan’s attack-minded team in La Liga, that gift is to once again become a blessing for Januzaj, rather than a curse when things don’t go according to plan. The difference between success and failure is only ever a matter of inches.

"Some games you cannot get it right, Januzaj admits. “There are some times when it isn’t your day and this can happen in football. People who understand football: they see the small details.

“Now, I’ve chosen a different path. But I know what my qualities are... and I know what I can achieve.”