ADNAN JANUZAJ has endured a difficult few years since bursting onto the scene at Manchester United, when he had an extensive list of nations clamouring for his services.

In the end he chose Belgium, even travelling to the World Cup and making a fleeting appearance in Brazil, but he was never able to really recapture the form that placed him in such high demand in his first season.

The departure of David Moyes from Old Trafford didn’t help either, with Louis van Gaal soon deciding he didn’t want him around and he offloaded him to Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan in August 2015.

Even that failed to spark him back to life. He struggled to impress, mainly because he found it so hard to break into a Dortmund team boasting Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitarayan in the roles he would have preferred. He never started a game in the Bundesliga and his form and confidence suffered dramatically as a result.

His switch to Sunderland, on a season-long loan, has provided an opportunity to prove his worth once more, and under the manager who gave him his chance at Manchester United.

Januzaj said: “When you play regularly you have the confidence. I was very confident in my first year because I had a manager (Moyes) pushing me all the time and when you have the confidence you can do anything. Everything comes to you.

“I just need someone who will trust me and give me opportunities to play games. Now I’ve played three games and I feel much more confident on the ball. My quality is that I’ve never been scared to take someone on, to risk losing the ball and to ask for the ball. That’s part of my mentality.

“I’m here to play my games and prove to people that they were wrong. If I play regularly I can do that.”

Januzaj is only 21. Yet such was his profile when he had England, Belgium, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo all fighting for his services, there is already a sense he has not lived up to his earlier billing.

That is where Sunderland have a crucial role to play. Even if Jose Mourinho, who is keeping tabs on him having liked him during his time at Chelsea, decides he can leave permanently next summer then the Stadium of Light could be a long-term option.

His attitude was regularly criticised after losing his way, and only this week former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt – United’s head of academy – suggested he lacked ‘dedication’.

Januzaj said: “People like to speak a little about me. A lot of the things people have said about me were wrong. I’m here to show them they were wrong. That’s my job, to show them.

“I’ve always been the same boy and I’ve never changed. I’ll always be the same boy I was in my first year and I’ll never change that mentality.

“I’m always hungry to play football. I’ve loved football since I was very young. I started playing when I was four years-old, so that means a lot. I love football.”

Januzaj’s frustrations during the last couple of years can be expected as a teenager but it is how he reacts to them that will make or break him. Moyes handed him his big Premier League chance – including two goals at Sunderland – but his reign was short-lived in Manchester.

That is why Januzaj is banking on Moyes, who has already seen the Brussels-born forward score a stunning winner in a red and white shirt in the EFL Cup, to get the best out of him again.

He said: “I need to play games to show people what I can do. In my first year (as a professional) I was playing regularly, so I was happy. Now I’m playing games again and trying to get my fitness back. I’ve already played three games and I should be fine. I need to kick on.”

Januzaj could have been lining up alongside Spanish midfielder Vicente Iborra against Everton on Monday had things turned out differently before the transfer window closed nine days ago.

Sunderland had agreed to pay £7.7m to Sevilla for Iborra only for the deal to breakdown when his head coach Jorge Sampaoli had stressed that he could stay if he wanted.

Iborra said: “For me those were intense days and not easy. Sevilla were always my first option and despite the Sunderland offer being good for everyone, I always wanted to stay. The opinion of the coach was also important.”

It has also emerged that Rubin Kazan have opened the door to negotiations with Yann M'Vila over a new contract. The Frenchman has agreed to a move to Sunderland in January as a free agent but was frustrated that a move did not materialise on deadline day with the Russian club demanding a £7m fee.