If you had declared at the end of the 2014/15 season that Marouane Fellaini would do an excellent job of replacing Paul Pogba, some Manchester United fans would’ve tried to have you sectioned. While the France international was taking part in the Champions League final as a member of Juventus’ dynamic midfield, the lanky Belgian was being vilified as the signing that epitomised the Red Devils’ plight since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
But fast forward to 2017 and Fellaini is indeed doing an impressive job of filling in for his injured team-mate, after Pogba was stretchered off with what could be a rather serious hamstring injury during a 3-0 win over FC Basel on Tuesday night. It was the 76-cap international who replaced Pogba against the Swiss outfit, scoring and assisting from the bench, and he took the box-to-box role alongside Nemanja Matic once again on Sunday upon facing former club Everton.
There’s still a significant section of United fans who aren’t convinced by the often cumbersome ex-Toffee but he’s clearly a favourite of Mourinho’s and it wasn’t hard to see why on Sunday. Indeed, Fellaini won the most headers and the most tackles of any United player while ranking second for interceptions, highlighting the important role he played in the Red Devils’ clean sheet.
Our recent poll revealed most Manchester United fans wanted last season’s Player of the Year Ander Herrera to start in Pogba’s absence, but Fellaini more than justified his place in the team against Everton. As long as the 29-year-old can maintain those performance levels, the Spain international will struggle to get into the starting XI.
