Abhranil Roy
Maroune Fellaini hasn’t done a great deal of justice to his reputation ever since he joined Manchester United in 2013. The-then United manager David Moyes had bought him in the hope of using him as both of an option upfront, or a midfielder. Three years on, however, he has been a miserable fail in both the positions, and despite an odd good performance every now and then, he has been mostly poor. The Belgian received a lot of flak last season as well, for his poor outings and could choose to leave Old Trafford in the summer. It is likely that he will rejoin with his old boss Moyes at Sunderland, and this could be a potentially good deal for all sides. Clubcall reports, “Sunderland are hoping to tie up a deal before the start of the new Premier League season and an offer around the £13million mark could be enough to land the 28-year-old. Moyes is also said to be showing an interest in Adnan Januzaj with a year-long loan deal the option said to be on the table.”
If this is true, United will recover about 50% of the money they invested in Fellaini, and it might just rejuvenate the player’s career as well. The British manager got the best out of Fellaini at Everton, making him a key piece in attacking situations. In his final full season with the Toffees back in 2012/13, he scored 11 goals and made five assists. That’s a pretty good return from his 31 Premier League games that year.
Jose Mourinho is known to sell players who don’t fit his vision quickly, and with Paul Pogba seemingly ready to join us and the likes of Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger all eager to impress, it seems impossible that there is any scope for the Belgian in United’s midfield. However, Sunderland would surely benefit by signing another striker to complement 33-year-old Jermain Defoe, but Fellaini’s arrival would help feed Defoe with opportunities. Dangerous in the air and able to create chances for his strikers, Fellaini can be a menace to opposing defenders. He is a physical player and one who would work hard for Moyes.
It will be interesting to see if Moyes can work his magic on Marouane again, but one thing’s for sure: If the former Toffees boss can pull off the signing of Fellaini, it would be a great start to life at the Stadium of Light.
