Manchester United’s senior stars have been posted missing

Teenage Man United star Adnan Januzaj is being let down by his more experienced teammates.

Adnan Januzaj is 18 years old, has started just 13 games and was earning £1,000 a week until he signed his new contract three months ago.

Last Wednesday, he took every free-kick, every corner and one of the shoot-out penalties as Manchester United were dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Sunderland.

The youngster played in three different positions during the game to accommodate others and was the one senior team-mates looked to find whenever United had a sight of goal. Good on Januzaj for taking responsibility. Shame on the rest for allowing it!

It sums up where United are at the moment. David Moyes is in deep trouble and the only player who steps up to the plate to help him has barely started shaving.

The team has been missing its best two players, but even without Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie there should be enough character in that squad not to have to depend on Januzaj. By rights, Moyes should be easing him in gradually, resting him every few games, carefully nursing his embryonic career.

He hasn’t been able to, simply because no-one else shows any sign of fight, fire or fortitude.

Part of the problem is that it’s likely that the four most senior players Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs are in their final season at the club. Their influence is rapidly diminishing and Rooney apart there’s not enough leadership from the next generation.

It’s not like there’s no experience there. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley all hope to go to Brazil with England. Antonio Valencia, Nani, Jonny Evans, Shinji Kagawa and Ashley Young are in their mid-to-late 20s.

The bulk of those players have abdicated their responsibilities just at a time when their new manager needed them most. Much has been made of this being the same squad that Sir Alex Ferguson won the title with by 11 points seven months ago.

Moyes has been blamed for the dramatic dip in their effectiveness, but the players need to look at themselves. It’s simply not acceptable for seasoned professionals to use a managerial change as an excuse to underperform.