Najar experiences second youth at DC United

OTHER The career of Andy Najar is back on track. The Honduran, who seemed to be written off for soccer at Anderlecht, is currently doing very well at his club DC United. He is a key player and is even a fixed value for the national team again. 


After years of injury, Najar left Anderlecht in the summer of 2020 through the backdoor. He started at Los Angeles FC, but with barely 180 playing minutes in half a year it was no success. After 3.5 months without a club, Najar signed a contract in April with DC United, the club where he broke through and where Anderlecht went to get him as a 20-year-old. And that turned out to be a golden move.

The first weeks, he was still a substitute, but since mid-May, he has played twenty league games in the starting line-up. Two third of those he played completely. With a goal and four assists, his statistics are also more than ok. His performance at DC United also made Najar an international again. During the September and October international periods, he played five international games, four of them from the first to the last minute.

Najar's rebirth is credited to coaches Hernan Losada and Nicolas Frutos. "It's unbelievable how Andy has crawled out of the valley," Losada said in Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. Losada recounts how Los Angeles FC informed them that Najar was no longer in capable of top sport. But DC United gave the Honduran a modified program and adjusted his nutrition schedule.

At DC United, Najar plays in a new role: as an emerging central pawn in a three-man defense. "A technically skilled center-back of 1m70 who crosses the field with the ball in possession. They had never seen that here before and many teams have problems with that," Losada said.

Najar still has a contract at DC United until the end of this year, but the club has an option to extend it for two years. "I hope we can keep him. But if he keeps playing so well, it will be difficult," Losada concluded.