Adnan Januzaj trains with Belgium squad for the first time as Marc Wilmots' side prepare for warm-up matches

By Joe Ridge

Published: 04:00 EST, 20 May 2014 | Updated: 04:31 EST, 20 May 2014


Adnan Januzaj trained with his Belgium team-mates for the first time on Monday ahead of their World Cup warm-up matches against Luxembourg and Sweden.

The 19-year-old Manchester United winger joined 11 other Barclays Premier League players in Genk as Marc Wilmots' squad convened ahead of their trip to Brazil.

Among the strong English-based contingent training in Genk ahead of next Monday night's friendly against Luxembourg are Januzaj's United team-mate Marouane Fellaini, Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany and Chelsea star Eden Hazard.

Training day: Januzaj (centre) chats to Manchester United team-mate Marouane Fellaini (right)

Training day: Januzaj (centre) chats to Manchester United team-mate Marouane Fellaini (right)

Teenage kicks: Januzaj does some work with a ball as fans watch on in Genk

Teenage kicks: Januzaj does some work with a ball as fans watch on in Genk

Show of faith: Belgium boss Marc Wilmots talks to the media alongside Januzaj on Monday

Show of faith: Belgium boss Marc Wilmots talks to the media alongside Januzaj on Monday

 
 

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Januzaj - of Kosovar-Albanian heritage - only declared his allegiance to Belgium last month.

The prospect of his inclusion was initially treated with hostility by Belgium and Everton winger Kevin Mirallas but national skipper Kompany moved to allay any fears over his introduction into the fold.

'Everyone is, first of all, happy to be in the selection,' Kompany said after being asked if any of the squad were unhappy with Januzaj's inclusion.

'Then ultimately it is the manager's job to make a decision and I think we are all quite happy just to leave it to the manager and trust him for the decisions he makes.

'We have great players in the team so hopefully for the World Cup we will have a great performance as well.

'We are just always happy to welcome new players, always.'

Star-studded: Chelsea winger Eden Hazard (left) and Kevin de Bruyne (second left) are highly rated

Star-studded: Chelsea winger Eden Hazard (left) and Kevin de Bruyne (second left) are highly rated

Controversy: Not all of his team-mates welcomed Januzaj's call-up

Controversy: Not all of his team-mates welcomed Januzaj's call-up

Mirallas, who will face competition from Januzaj for a starting place, said in April: 'I don’t think he should go to Brazil.

'It would not be fair to leave out another good player for someone who does not know the others and has not played a lot for his club in recent months.

'Adnan does not know the group, and the fact is, he has not had much game time at Manchester United lately.'

He added: 'I think for him, the European Championships in 2016 would be a more realistic target.'

Fan fare: The United youngster signs autographs for Belgium supporters

Fan fare: The United youngster signs autographs for Belgium supporters

 

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Comments (5)

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Fellaini's elbows can improve under LvG

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I think Van Gaal will turn him into a world class player no doubt about it

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You "think", "no doubt"........

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Does this guy never smile?

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The only thing Moyes did right

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