Mourinho: Now people know what this underrated Man Utd player is about

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Marouane Fellaini’s importance to Manchester United extends beyond his recent match-winning exploits, according to club manager Jose Mourinho.

Fellaini scored a winner against Champions League group stage opponents Young Boys in midweek to put United through to this season’s knockout phase and avoid making unwanted history; never before had the club gone a whole group stage in the competition without a home win.

Should Man Utd rely on Marouane Fellaini so much? Five things to know

  1. Fellaini now has nine match-winning goals for United.
  2. But before he scored v Young Boys, Old Trafford had gone a club-record 275 minutes without a Champions League home goal.
  3. And they had actually won just three home games across all competitions previously.
  4. But Mourinho is not turned to Fellaini in times of need; Under Louis van Gaal, Fellaini was also deemed the “secret weapon.”
  5. And although Mourinho acknowledged he’s no Diego Maradona, Fellaini now actually has as many European Cup goals as the Argentine legend (just two).

Unusual levels of ire were generated by Fellaini’s goal, which looked to have involved a handball. Mourinho inexplicably smashed a drinks crate in scenes of celebratory rage rarely seen since Temuri Ketsbaia’s Newcastle United days. And Valencia, who had banked on making it through to the Champions League knockout rounds at United’s expense, fumed over the lack of VAR, which will be introduced next season.

But the dust has now settled and the United boss was calmer, yet still impassioned, during Friday’s press conference ahead of the Southampton trip this weekend, in which he outlined Fellaini’s ability to perform to a high standard in three different positions.

“I think now he’s getting [the credit he deserves],” Mourinho told the press. “I think until I came [to Man Utd] he probably didn’t, but I think now everyone gives him what he deserves.”

A World Cup winner with Argentina, Maradona, of course, routinely figures in conversations as to who is the greatest footballer of all time. The former Barcelona and Napoli superstar is most closely associated with dribbling, flair and technical ability, but Mourinho used Fellaini to highlight how footballers can make talismanic and important contributions in other areas.

Mourinho added: “Everybody knows Marouane is not Maradona but everyone knows what Marouane is and what he can give. In this moment, especially this season and also last season, he did many times what [our] strikers couldn’t do, which is score goals in important moments.

“I know him very well and I know the positions he can play, the jobs he can do. This season you saw him as a third central defender against Burnley and you saw him as a striker and as a number eight, which is basically the position where Marouane has more balance and know how but he’s very important in both boxes, in the first third and in the last third.

“Now people know what Marouane is and he also feels that good feeling.”

Fellaini extended his current club contract by two years this season and has played 10 Premier League games for United, though has started only five of those. There will be many starting opportunities over the festive fixture list, however, during which Mourinho must oversee daunting tests with Arsenal and Liverpool.

NOW WATCH: Why multiple managers value Fellaini so much

What makes Fellaini one of the Premier League’s prime problem solvers? We’ve explained in the video below:

The post “He’s no Maradona, but everyone knows Marouane Fellaini’s importance to Man Utd” appeared first on Squawka News.



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