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Januzaj proud to wear Giggs' no.11 shirt
Adnan Januzaj insists it was an honour to inherit the iconic no.11 shirt from Ryan Giggs, who he describes as his “godfather” at Manchester United.
Giggs hung up his boots in May and almost immediately stated his wish for somebody else to accept his famous jersey. That person was Januzaj, who was proud to accept the honour when approached in the summer and did not require a moment’s consideration.
"I was really happy to get the number of such a legend and it was a really big deal for me," Adnan told ManUtd.com. "I went to the office and they asked me if I wanted the shirt. I wasn’t going to say no! Straight away I said 'of course' and I didn’t have to think about it. It was a 'yes' straight away.
"It feels different," the 19-year-old continued. "Things have changed because it is a big responsibility to wear the no.11 shirt and having the number of a legend is really big. Ryan has helped me a lot and is like a godfather. He has told me to work hard on the training pitch and the rest is more personal. We talk about football a lot."
Although Januzaj only played with Giggs for a single season, the fledgling Belgian believes 12 months was ample time to tap into the Welshman’s knowledge and expertise.
"I learned a lot from him and the experience was great. He was such a good player to watch and is my favourite player of all time at United. Could I imagine playing at 40? Of course, if I am still fit. You never lose your quality, that’s something I learned from him."