One of the rather strange signings at Old Trafford off late has been Marouane Fellaini for sure. The Belgian was brought in by David Moyes at the inception of the Scot’s short-lived managerial career at Manchester United just because he was well known to Moyes during the duo’s time at Everton, where Fellaini was a very well respected footballer.
After having started out as a defensive midfielder, Fellaini started to progress upwards in the pitch owing to his aerial ability. Standing at 6’4 ½ , the Belgian is clearly well-endowed when it comes to height. He put this to good effect during his time at Goodison Park with his goal-scoring exploits. But He hasn’t been able to conjure up similar successes at United though and on several occasions, he has been the target of United fans for poor performances.
His latest howler came as recently as the 1-1 draw with former club Everton, where Fellaini was thrown on as a substitute in the dying minutes to hold onto a 1-0 lead. Fellaini did exactly the opposite as he put in a poor, rusty challenge on Idrissa Gueye and gave away a penalty to his former side, which was duly dispatched by Leighton Baines to give Manchester United fans more disappointment.
His involvement, nowadays, has usually been restricted to substitute appearances where Fellaini is either charged with defensive responsibilities or sometimes even a role up front when United are trailing and are in need of aerial threat.
Such uncertainties and unclear tactics have ruined Fellaini’s gameplay and he looks to be a shadow of his former-self. This season, he started quite a few games as Mourinho often gave him the responsibility to play in defensive midfield and Fellaini did the dirty work expected of him to decent efficiency but has been found wanting in recent times. Such form has made Manchester United fans question his place in the team. Here are three reasons why Fellaini should depart Old Trafford in order to benefit all the parties involved –
Here are three reasons why Fellaini should depart Old Trafford in order to benefit all the parties involved –
Ignorable goal-scoring record
Fellaini was brought in by Moyes to add significant goal threat, albeit of a different kind to that of what is expected of a striker. But Fellaini has failed to live up to those expectations and has often been the scapegoat for many of Manchester United’s poor showings of late. His aerial ability was supposed to give United a big advantage, but only a few times has he come up trumps with his heading ability. He has been used in a rather defensive sense and having played the last few years at Everton in an attacking role, Fellaini doesn’t seem to be enjoying the defensive duties he has been charged with performing.
Inability to hold down a particular position
The Belgian has been used in multiple positions during his time at Old Trafford and he has failed to impress whilst playing in all of them. Usually, he is deployed as a defensive midfielder charged with marking opposition midfielders and although he does quite a decent job at it, his lack of pace and inability to deal with danger quickly have left the team wanting on more than one occasion. Even when he was deployed in an attacking role, Fellaini failed to produce the good and have any kind of telling impact on the games.
Penchant for reckless tackles
Fellaini is quite a dirty player in terms of giving fouls away and has been caught wanting for the same on many occasions. His challenge on Gueye to give away a penalty in a recent PL game wasn’t the most graceful challenge one would see. His lack of pace means that he is caught leaving out a leg in an attempt to get the ball, but usually, he is guilty of making an unfair challenge that has gotten him many yellow cards during his career in England. United certainly don’t need a player of his irk at the moment as they are in a real need of quality in midfield despite the arrival of Pogba in the summer.