Lets play a game where someone tells you to recall one player from a club. So when you say Manchester United, one usually thinks Rooney. And when you say Arsenal, its now Ozil. So when I say Januzaj and Gnabry, you would go like Whaaaaaa….? But if you are following the Premier League right now, you must surely have noticed them by now. And both share a similar story of meteoric rise and becoming an integral part of the team at an age below 20. I am 22 and if I even felt 10% of that pressure of all those aspirations and dust, I would probably go down in a heap of dust.
Both of the youngsters have made significant contributions to make the Football Fraternity stand up and take notice of them. One at Theater of Dreams while the other at The Emirates have had significant playing time this season and have shown glimpses of mesmerizing talent on view whenever full on song. While Adnan Januzaj at Manchester United is already being talked of the next big thing, the 18-year old German Serge Gnabry is yet another player coming from the youth ranks at the Gunners Training Centre.
Gnabry has also spoken highly of Arsene Wenger and credits his amazing rise to the French Professor,
“I am very happy. I know the manager is fully on the side of young players and that I will be handed a proper chance at this club. And that’s exactly how things went for me. In everyday life Mr [Arsene] Wenger is very much down-to-earth.”
Born and bred in Stuttgart Gnabry was one of those who always displayed enormous talent while still being at the youth ranks of VFB Stuttgart, a huge footballing town, hours from Munich. The German side, who, in 2010, agreed a ramification of a £100,000 deal with Arsenal over the transfer of the teenager.
Gnabry, however, could only link up with his new employers when he turned 16 and continued to develop in the North Londoners’ Under-18 side. A diminutive winger-come-forward has been likened to Oxlade Chamberlain, he has that instant acceleration, brilliant on the turn, with flashes of utter brilliance which was full on display during Gnabry’s small stint during the United showdown this past Sunday.
Coming to Adnan Januzaj, who has been the talk of the season for Manchester United, featuring in six Premier League outings, scoring two goals and catching the eye whenever he is in the mood. If we go by Squawka stats, he has an average passing accuracy of 78% which is unbelievable given his delicate age, with an average pass length of 16m. Even though he does not look great physically, he does win almost 68% of his tackles in 50-50 situations, a testament of the desire to succeed on the stage which matters the most.
In those six games he has played his campaign, he has one assist and three key chances created to his credit, moreover he has that willingness to take defenders on and beat them at will, a sign of greater things to come in the future.
Gnabry has been subjected to a slightly higher calibre of youth team football, but speaking of impact Januzaj wins the battle hands down.