Andy Najar at Anderlecht: Training or Trial?

According to reports coming out of Belgium, Andy Najar landed yesterday in Brussels and is now on trial with Anderlecht, the top team in Belgium and current home of U.S. international Sacha Kljestan. The Belgian newspaper also states the a loan deal until the end of the season is almost in place and that it would include an option to purchase Najar at the end of the season.

These kinds of training stints are common with MLS players in the offseason and foreign media often calls them trials regardless of whether the player has any chance of signing with that team. However, MLS teams typically announce these overseas training stints in order to dispel any kind of speculation about an impending transfer, such as when Bill Hamid went to train with West Bromwich Albion or when Najar went to train with Tottenham Hotspur. At least as of yet, there is nothing on the team's website about Najar training overseas this offseason.

Ever since his first season, United fans have known that European clubs would eventually be calling for Andy Najar. Even though he did not score a goal this season, his switch to fullback helped ignite the club and helped to carry them into the playoffs when Dwayne De Rosario went down. If this were to happen, Najar would be the first Homegrown Player to be sold overseas. While it would be a painful loss for the team, it shows that MLS academies can produce quality talent worthy of playing in Europe.

Interestingly, some of the websites are asking their readers to do the same thing we do when linked with a possible signing: evaluate them based on a YouTube highlight video. Watch Najar's video below and let me know how you think it compares to the player we have seen on the field for three years.