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Marouane Fellaini showed against Zorya Luhansk why he may never succeed at Man United
WHEN Marouane Fellaini signed for Manchester United, David Moyes tried to bring Leighton Baines with him.
Fellaini looks bereft of his bullying confidence that can make him such a handful
You could see the logic, just as Kenny Dalglish saw the logic of signing Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll - you get a good lad in the air and someone with a sweet left foot and then sit back while the goals fly in.
Dalglish’s problem was that neither Carroll or Adam could stay fit or in shape long enough to make an impact in the Liverpool team.
Moyes’ problem was that he couldn’t get Bill Kenwright to part with both players.
At Everton, Fellaini was at his best as a second striker - like a deep-lying target man
Fellaini would steamroll defenders and goalkeepers alike at Everton
Manchester United fans will probably tell you the whole thing was flawed and that Fellaini was in no way the statement signing Moyes needed.
The Belgian midfielder is not seen as ‘a United player’ - whatever that is.
But despite that he is one of the few post-Sir Alex Ferguson signings to have stuck around and actually been an active member of the squad. He is now approaching 100 appearances for United.
Fellaini now often finds himself having to unpick defences with passing not physicality
However, he is a common scapegoat for the fans when the Red Devils and it’s easy to see why.
More often than not, he is deployed in central midfield and required to play with the game in front of him. He is asked to find a pass and unpick a defence.
It’s fair to say that is not his strength so it’s hardly surprising that he often looks hesitant and confused on the ball.
Positioned almost as a second striker, he was able to play with his back to goal and hold up the ball or break late into the box and thump the ball home.
In his last full season at Goodison scored 11 times. He was more than a handful to deal with. He even passed the ball with confidence. He commanded a fee of £27.5million.
But at a club like United, a man who can play as a deep-lying target man isn’t that useful.
They are more often than not going to have large amounts of possession and will have to find a way through packed defences. A man who can offer a target for an out-ball isn’t worth much.