Manchester United star Marouane Fellaini has revealed his frustration at being slated last season, after not living upto the standards expected following a move from Everton. We take a look at why he is right to feel aggrieved at the critical comments that came his way.
Last summer at United, a lot of huge names were mentioned as potential arrivals. Midfielders like Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos were reportedly being targeted by new manager David Moyes. In the end, the fans had to make do with Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian arrived from Moyes’ previous club Everton for a fee of £27.5 million after a stellar campaign with the Toffees.
At Old Trafford, Fellaini was expected to deliver immediately. With the hefty price-tag attached to him, an instant impact was anticipated and demanded. Instead, it turned out to be a miserable season for both player and club. Manchester United finished 7th, Moyes was sacked midway through the campaign, and Fellaini failed to even establish himself as a first-team regular. Having scored 12 times in the league for Everton in the 2013-14 season, he failed to open his account for United in the whole of last year.
When a team doesn’t do as well as it should, the newest big-money signing is often made the scapegoat. In the summer, there was a lot of speculation of a potential exit from United for Fellaini. It was reported that new manager Louis Van Gaal didn’t want him at the club anymore, and his future at Old Trafford seemed extremely bleak.
The truth, in fact, was that Fellaini hadn’t been given enough time to settle at the club at all. He wasn’t helped by the fact that United had the terrible season they did. Had the team been doing well, Fellaini’s struggles on the pitch would have gone unnoticed until he found his feet.
Of late though, it has been a different story altogether. The big Belgian has not only worked himself into the first XI, but has been one of the Red Devils’ best players. His performances against West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea especially, revealed a new Fellaini.
In comments made to The Telegraph today, the former Standard Liege man said on his early United career,”Last season we didn’t play well as a team and it was easy for people outside the club to say it was me because the manager brought me with him [from Everton], but that was something I had to deal with.
“It was a difficult moment because in all my career I hadn’t experienced anything like it. I learnt a lot. I care about what people have to say, of course, but my concern was for my family, my mum and dad and my brothers, because when [critics] are saying bad things about me, it will have been very hard for them.”
Now, it looks like all those bad things are behind him. With United on the back of a six-game winning streak and looking good to kick on and become potential title-contenders, Fellaini has a big role to play.
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