From Jesse Lingard to Javier Hernandes: 6 footballers who switched to smaller clubs after big starts

The sport of football has produced countless superstars over the years. Notably, a few have made a name for themselves, initially showing promising talents at big clubs. However, some of them eventually faded out in the long run and switched to smaller clubs.

Football is a game of goal-scoring talents and fine athletic skills, including passing, dribbling, and goalkeeping abilities. Over the years, innumerable such footballers have been produced.

However, not all of them have a good career in the longer run, despite showing promising talents initially. In the same light, we take a look at five such footballers who faded away despite an eventful start to their careers.

Adnan Januzaj
The Belgium striker shot to fame at Manchester United from the academy. Having made his senior team debut in 2013, he was backed to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo of the club, known for his sublime running and dribbling abilities, along with a knack for goal-scoring. However, he could manage just five goals in 63 games across four seasons, thus turning out to be an utter waste. Currently, he plays for the Spanish side Real Sociedad.

Oscar
The young Brazilian attacking midfielder was a force for Chelsea between 2012-17. While he scored 38 goals in 203 games for The Blues across competitions, he was mostly known for his good passing abilities and used to come up with terrific assists. However, his performance just kept taking a toll with each passing season. Despite having won four titles at Stamford Bridge, she switched to Shanghai SIPG and is doing great, having scored 44 goals in 145 matches, besides winning a couple of titles.

Bojan
The Spanish striker was renowned for his spell at Barcelona between 2007-11. Being a product of the academy, he served as a great deputy as well for Lionel Messi. He scored 41 goals in 163 games for the side across tournaments, besides winning ten titles, including twin UEFA Champions League titles. However, his final season at Camp Nou turned out to be a disaster, as The Catalan was quick at letting go of him. While he returned to the side after two seasons, he was loaned to Ajax for the season, where he failed to impress again. Having switched to several top clubs, he lost his touch and is entirely out of the frame now. Currently, he plays for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer.

Jon Flanagan
The English defender was a force for Liverpool at the back. Having been associated with the side for eight seasons, he had a great time, while he even scored a goal, with 2013-14 being his breakout season. While he failed to win a single title at the club, it was since 2013-14 that his defending skills took a hit. After being loaned to Burnley, Bolton Wanderers and then, switching to Scottish giant Rangers, he currently plays for Belgian side Charleroi, besides continuing to have a titleless career.

Jesse Lingard
The English striker is one of the country's charismatic forwards, having made a name for himself at United. Although he rose to fame during the post-Ferguson era, until 2017-18, since then, his performance at Old Trafford has taken a toll. After a below-par three season since at the club, he has been loaned to West Ham United, which is currently placed fourth. While he is doing decent there, it is unlikely that he fits the standards of United now and could be on his way out completely.

Javier Hernandes
The Mexican striker was signed to much hype at United and was going all good under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2010-13. However, following Fergie's retirement, his performance took a shocking toll at the club for the next three seasons before being eventually sold out. Including a short loan stint at Real Madrid, he tried his luck at Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham and Sevilla, but to no avail, as he is currently playing his career out at LA Galaxy in MLS.