Manchester United youngsters who left Old Trafford too early

Adnan Januzaj is congratulated by Robin Van Persie and Michael Carrick after victory in the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United at Stadium of Light on October 5, 2013 in Sunderland, England. (Getty Images)

18-year-old Adnan Januzaj stole the show on his full debut by scoring a brilliant brace, as Manchester United came from behind to record their first win in three weeks at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland over the weekend.

The Belgian-born youngster, who moved to Old Trafford from Anderlecht in 2011, is in the final year of his contract and the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and cross-town rivals Manchester City have been monitoring the situation closely.

For whatever reason, if Januzaj does choose to reject United’s overtures, it wouldn’t be the first time that the club would lose out on a promising talent.

Below is a list of players who left the Trafford Training Centre a tad bit earlier than expected:

Ravel Morrison charges upfield during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at White Hart Lane on October 6, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Honourable Mentions: Robbie Brady (Hull City) and Ravel Morrison (West Ham United)

It is a good time to be a Manchester United academy graduate as most clubs around England seem to be thriving on their products.

Take Hull City’s Robbie Brady for instance. The Irishman is the Tigers’ top-scorer this season with four goals in all competitions.

The 21-year-old is out with a hernia problem at the moment but if he were to continue his goal-scoring form upon his return, he could be crucial to his side’s hopes for top-flight survival.

Another youngster who has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks is bad-boy Ravel Morrison.

The 20-year old scored a superb goal in the Hammers’ away win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, that manager Sam Allardyce described as “a bit of genius”.

Morrison, who has had his brief career disrupted by off-field controversies, was even called up to the England U-21 squad for the first time this week.

With David Moyes’ men struggling in midfield, they looked to Januzaj for spark; something Morrison could have also provided had he not got on the wrong side of Sir Alex Ferguson.