Manchester United have been on the hunt for a creative midfielder for a long time. Even before David Moyes was in the picture, it was clear that the club needed to freshen things up in this area.
Paul Scholes’ influence has dwindled over the last couple of seasons and he’s now entered permanent retirement. New additions like Shinji Kagawa haven’t had the impact that fans would have hoped for.
Then there’s Michael Carrick an excellent footballer, but not the most dynamic player moving forward. He’s there for ball-retention purposes and cannot really be expected to bear the creative burden.
As such, it was important that David Moyes addressed United’s midfield this summer. In this regard, I’m not sure that fans will feel completely satisfied.
Things could have been different. Some of the targets that United were in for this summer were very exciting indeed.
The club could have brought in Thiago Alcantara, but the talented young Spaniard choose to join up with his ex-boss, Pep Guardiola. It’s clear that David Moyes doesn’t provide the same draw for players as Sir Alex Ferguson did.
Then there was Cesc Fabregas. The former Arsenal captain would have improved United considerably, but he was never likely to move to Old Trafford. He’s still desperate to prove himself at his boyhood club, Barcelona.
Next up is Ander Herrera, the Athletic Bilbao ace who United were interested in. The fans will never live down the stories about impostors attempting to sign the player on United’s behalf.
Eventually, however, United managed to sign a midfielder at the last moment. David Moyes was re-united with his Everton charge, Marouane Fellaini. Even still, there was a snag. Back in July, Fellaini would have been available for just £23.5m thanks to his release clause. United signed him on deadline day, when this clause had elapsed, for £27.5m.
Then there’s the fact that Fellaini isn’t the best fit for the role that United need to fill at the moment. The big Belgium bruiser is better suited to the holding role. He should play directly in front of the back-four, where he can win the ball and distribute it to players further up the pitch. In short, he should play in the Michael Carrick role.
I’m sure Fellaini will be a success at Old Trafford. I’m just not sure he was the best option. Why, for instance, did United not go in for Mesut Ozil?
There were so many missed opportunities this summer. Then there’s the fact that Marouane Fellaini looks to have been a panic-buy. I think it’s fair to say that Moyes hasn’t dealt with the issue at hand this summer.
The only question that remains is how this will impact the club over the course of a long season.
What’s your take? What impact will Marouane Fellaini have at Old Trafford? Do United have enough midfield firepower to compete for the Premier League title?
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What go for Ozil when we have Kagawa and Rooney who both play in Ozils position. Didn’t make sense for the club to go for him
Although Fellaini is a welcome addition to our squad, missing out on Ozil when he was more than willing by all accounts to join us was a mistake. His signing would have made our midfield / attacking options very enviable to the top clubs in Europe never mind the premiership. Ozil, Kagawa, Felaini, Carrick, Rooney, Van P, Hernandez, Nani, as well as other young lads coming through Zaha etc. Ot was a poor transfer window overall and has given the impetus to other top teams. I am hoping that at the end on the season I will be proved wrong though and that we’ll win the league and champions league ????
I tink technically n tactically David moyes bought wot united lack. I mean presence in d middle of d pack. a physical presence dat wil allow creative player to play wit d maximum of freedom by protecting d back 4. win d ball n distribute it to d front four. wit carrick n fellaine united have a balance team n dey ar nt far off from success.
the nearist you will get to paul scholes create goals score goals lgood engine just missed out on a fantatic footballer hope we do not regret getting been a fan of his for four years now
I still cannot imagine all these reports about Ozii coming to OT. What is his essence when Rooney and Kagawa are still alive. who says Kagawa cannot improve if given more play times. And Rooney hasnt lost form yet. What Man United needed for long has been a Defensive midfield which i see in Fellaini. Nw Rooney and Kagawa can concentrate on there positions. Dont forget so easily why Rooney wanted to leave last summer. Forget Ozil at OT. We have hopes in Rooney and Kagawa.
How have we fixed our midfield we bought a heavily over priced clown, he’s shocking! We’re Manchester United! What on planet EARTH is going on.
Fellaini was actually a good signing. We lacked steel in midfield and were easily run in the mid. When defending we always had our cf/am drop back to defend, distracting them from their roles. Why buy Ozil when we have Kagawa, Rooney and our promising youth?
I was hoping to get Fellini, we have seen several times Phil Jones playing there, mainly used to block dangerous players, I think Maroune can do this job and his aerial power will make other teams have to play the ball on the ground where Carrick can be the very effective in stopping any build ups and distribute a counter, and of course these two together can free up Kagawa who is a WORLD class player for that position, with Rooney/Wellbeck just behind V.Presie/Chicarito, we have seen the ability of Rafael and Evra as wing backs and good coverage of central defence in Vidic, Ferdinand, Evans, Jones and Smelling. Yes Yes this is the midfielder we needed, don’t forget we can always switch play to the right with Nani and Valencia, Young and Zaha, Cleverly and Anderson. My only disappointment is Adnan Januzaj not included in the first team.
What about Anderson?
fellain is the best player we wanted for our defence