Manchester United fans wanted Marouane Fellaini gone but he showed against Burnley why he’s still vital for Jose Mourinho
Fellaini has made a habit of bouncing back and proving people wrong in his five years at United
THE SIGHT of Marouane Fellaini on the pitch normally means Manchester United have gone into panic mode.
It certainly did under Louis van Gaal when the philosophy fell apart and it was time to lump it to the big man.
The Belgian has always felt uncomfortable with the tag of fire-fighter. He feels there is more to his game than that.
Clearly, so does Jose Mourinho which is why he fought so hard to keep Fellaini at the club after his contract ran out at the end of last season.
Many Manchester United fans would have been happy to see the back of him.
But Fellaini has made a habit of bouncing back and proving people wrong in his five years at United and he is out to do it again.
At Burnley on Sunday he was on from the start and was an inspirational figure in his defensive midfield role alongside Nemanja Matic.
He protected the back four, won every high ball, broke up Burnley attacks and when he had posession he fed it forward to the players who can do damage further up the park.
Mourinho joked after the game that he welcomed any questions about his decision to play Fellaini.
It had proved to be a masterstroke and he wanted to wallow in it as he broke into an all too rare smile and chuckle before the media.
He was full of praise for the player, claiming he is one of the best when it comes to heading the ball in the whole league.
Mourinho said: “He is our best player in the air. Not just the best for us but one of the best in the Premier League and he was that cover in front of Victor and Smalling that made a comfortable job.”
The player himself, who has had a decade in English football and made over 400 appearances for Everton and United, went into Mourinho mode afterwards.
Fellaini said: “The manager knows my qualities so he knows how I can help the team. I do it with pleasure.
“I know what I have to do. I have certain experience, 10 years in the Premier League. When he gives me a chance I try to give everything.”
After two consecutive defeats to Brighton and Tottenham the mood in the camp was lifted by Sunday’s result with even talk of a title challenge.
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Fellaini said: “We have the quality, that’s for sure. I think when we play positive football we do well.
“All this week we were focusing on this game because we wanted to win and get three points.
“The spirit was great. Everybody wanted to win. The challenges, the 50-50 balls, everyone wanted to win them, the second balls, too. The spirit is there.
“The season is long. The last two years we started very well, this season, a bit less, but the season is long so let’s keep going.
“The next game is more important than this one so let’s go with the national teams and come back very strong.”
The performance was a sure sign that the players still have faith in the manager after a rollercoaster first few weeks of the new season for Mourinho on and off the pitch.
Matic said: “He was very confident before the game, he prepared the game in a very good way. We knew where they could cause us problems with the long balls, that is why Fellaini played close to our defence, to stop the long balls. This performance shows how we need to play football and that we still can compete for the title.”
In two recent press conferences Mourinho reminded everyone of his record in the game of eight titles in four different countries, three of them in England.
For some it was a sign of the manager cracking under the strain, but Matic believes it was a clever way of taking the heat off the players.
Matic said: “He knows what he is doing. You probably know that also. It’s good for us also. He is one of the best managers in the world, you know what he won in his career so that shows you everything.
“He is dealing very well with the pressure. That is why he is here in Manchester United.”