Marouane Fellaini was one of Manchester United’s most pivotal players last term, alongside a rejuvenated Ashley Young. He terrorised teams from both halves of the Premier League table, scoring vital goals home and away – so what importance does our big Belgian bruiser have to the squad this term?

The signings of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger are believed by some to have put a question mark over Fellaini’s place in a resurgent United squad; I think this is nonsense. Aside from the fact that strength-in-depth is key to any team who want to mount a serious four-pronged trophy bid, Marouane is still of massive importance to Louis van Gaal as a first-team player, not a bench warmer.

The hairiest man at Old Trafford since Gabriel Heinze may have had a very weak first season in the red of Manchester, but so did David Moyes, who also switched from Toffee to Red Devil. Fellaini’s shortcomings in 2013-14 have received too much attention – they are, in fact, somewhat irrelevant, as the entire squad were lacklustre to say the least. Marouane became a scapegoat second only to Moyes himself and his reputation took a battering, but he got up from it and persevered, ultimately spending 2014/15 blowing our socks off.

Scoring in a 2-2 draw away at West Brom, 2-1 wins against Stoke and Crystal Palace, and in the respective 3-0 and 4-2 demolitions of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, Fellaini was incredibly important to United’s 4th place finish in the Premier League last season – and here are some reasons why he’ll play the same part this time around…

Adaptability

Back in June, Fellaini said that he sees himself as a defensive midfielder and it’s hard to argue with a player when they announce where their best position is; after all, they know their own strengths better than anyone else. However, Fellaini is someone who offers quality in a number of positions.

If I were United manager, I’d have the Belgian playing in the “number 10” role, behind Rooney. In a 4-3-3, I’d use him as the foremost midfielder. The role he played in attack last season was undeniably brilliant and I fully agree with van Gaal’s decision to throw Fellaini up front when our men were chasing equalising or winning goals.

Fellaini always tore through United playing as a striker/attacking midfielder for Everton and it was disappointing to see those qualities ignored by David Moyes, who used him in front of the defence in a very conservative line-up. However, I do feel that under van Gaal, Fellaini could be right about himself and he could offer a lot more in defensive midfield than he did two seasons ago, although his pace would be a worry; I wouldn’t want him playing in front of Daley Blind or partnering anyone other than Morgan Schneiderlin in defensive midfield.

The idea that the signings of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger will see Fellaini frozen out is a massive misconception. It is much more likely that Fellaini, Herrera, Januzaj and Pereira are the ones battling each other for a place. A defensive midfield of Schneiderlin-Carrick/Schweinsteiger with Fellaini in front of them is a much stronger set-up than a defensive midfield of Fellaini-Carrick with Memphis in front of them.

Technical Ability

At nearly 6 foot 5 inches tall, a lot of people are under false pretences as to what Fellaini brings to the field. Even United fans who have watched him for two seasons or more often make the mistake of assuming that the Belgian international is merely a good aerial threat – how wrong an assumption that is. Yes, our Marouane is a giant and yes he does score with his head, but his ability with the ball at his feet is actually one of his finest traits.

Marouane can compete with the best when it comes to ball retention and his dribbling is perhaps surprisingly very tight and precise. Perhaps the best game to look back on with this in mind is the 4-2 home win over City last season, when Yaya Toure had a horrid time trying to halt Fellaini in the midfield and was later blasted on social media for his performance – but if you re-watch the game, you’ll notice that Yaya actually played very well given how little support he had from his team-mates; Fellaini simply superceded him that day. I also fondly remember Marouane’s contribution as a substitute against Olympiakos in 2014, when United won 3-0 at home. He was brought on to see the game out and must have accounted for about 30% of the possession in the last 10 minutes of the tie. In-form, Fellaini is untouchable in terms of ball retention.

Personality

On top of his physical dominance, eye for goal and technical ability, Fellaini has an impeccable persona – he is quite clearly a very popular member of the squad, meaning that both the young players and the more experienced ones respect him. Adnan Januzaj is very close to his compatriot, as is Andreas Pereira, who

could be playing for Belgium had he not decided on Brazil as his national team

of preference. Bastian Schweinsteiger also gets on well with his fellow

midfielder, as do the Spanish contingent in the squad.

Marouane is also a leader on the pitch, as well as a fully-fledged Belgian international. In his most recent game for the (Belgian) Red Devils, he scored twice in a 4-3 victory over France. He’s a very assertive player and makes himself known on the pitch. Squad-deep leadership is something United have perhaps lacked since the departures of Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra but Smalling and Fellaini have picked up the mantle and are now two very commanding players. Marouane has a big role in this respect and it is yet another reason why he’s crucial to Louis van Gaal.

Conclusion

The playing down of our afro-bearing midfielder’s importance to the team has been going on for way too long now – it’s time people woke up and looked at what he offers, instead of making assumptions. Louis van Gaal has confirmed that the Belgian might be selected vs Club Brugge on Tuesday night so if he does make the eleven or even comes off the bench, watch him closely; you’ll be surprised. He’s a fairly well-rounded player, and it’s difficult to suggest an area which needs anything more than slight improvement, other than his discipline.

Like it or not, Marouane Fellaini is world-class.