Looking at Manchester United’s team photo for the season one couldn’t help but be impressed by the quality in the squad now that Louis has made his mark. You couldn’t skim over more than two players without happening upon a Falcao, Di Maria, Rooney or another top star.
But there also a few players who stick out like sore thumbs for the wrong reasons. We wonder what the future holds for Anderson, who is now playing in the reserves during what should be his prime years.
The other major misfit is Marouane Fellaini whose career has gone from bad to worse over the last year. He looked close to a loan move to Italy this summer but injury put paid to that idea.
And when you assess the technical qualities of the players that LvG has brought in it seems even more clear that Fellaini is not the coach’s type of footballer. He has his virtues, but technique is not prime amongst them. With the highly skillful Daley Blind and Michael Carrick the most likely candidates for the holding role, Fellaini’s opportunities to shine in midfield look remote.
But, if Fellaini doesn’t have the skill to play midfield for Louis then perhaps his best bet of staying at the club is to try to claim a place in the defence.
Fellaini looks much more like a defender anyway. He may not be the quickest but he is big and powerful and he may be able to do a job in the middle of a three if LvG decides to persist with the 3-5-2. We have seen from Manchester United’s recent transfer activity that LvG will only buy top quality. While he needs another centre back, he won’t invest unless a top one becomes available – a policy which we applaud.
And if there are no attractive offers for Fellaini in the winter then perhaps he could be used as a defender, breaking things up and offering decent distribution into the midfielders.
The signing of a Fellaini was a disaster and the only way we can see it working for him is if he can become an improbable success at the back.
Let’s see how Manchester United could line up with Fellaini at the back. United fans: worth exploring?
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Drewan Danehal
Sep 18, 2014 at 10:40 am
Only in an emergency. He needs a loan out to get game time and show that hes wirth taking a punt on for a sensibke fee; playing him in defence isn’t going to help him get his confidence back. United were never set up for a player like him.
m
Sep 18, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Is this for real? I hope you’re joking