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Fellaini is a Great Player, But is he What United Need?

Finally, the transfer window has closed and we’ve had the better part of a week to let it all sink in.  Clubs have strengthened their squad (well, some have, others haven’t) with the most notable been the signing of German playmaker Mesut Ozil by Arsenal on Deadline Day.  Man United struggled to sign their summer targets which resulted in the signing of the big Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini on Deadline Day.

The Fellaini signing looked looked like a panic buy considering he had a buyout clause which they could have activated earlier on in the transfer window but allowed it to run out and ultimately paid more last Monday.  That’s some good piece of business by Everton, if you ask me….  The question on many fans’ minds centres on whether or not he is who Man United need.

Fellaini started his professional career with Standard Liege where he made 84 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2008 scoring 11 times before he signed for Everton in September 2008 on a five-year deal. No doubt, Fellaini brings a different dimension to the Man United midfield; he is a strong box-to-box player who defends well in front of the back four and joins the attack when he has to, finding the net often enough.

Fellaini was also deployed as a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 system where he played off the main striker in the early part of 2012/2013 season by David Moyes, who was then the manager of Everton. He knows him better than any one perhaps.  He did a great job there and went on to score six times in 8 appearances, going on to win the Barclays Player of the Month award in November before he was moved back to his defensive midfield position later on in the season where he continued his rich vein of form.

Considering United lacks immense creativity in the centre of the pitch, which was made clearer from their defeat against Liverpool combined with the absence of Wayne Rooney,who usually drops deep into midfield to do the the creative work for team. They clearly needed some one who can unlock very well organised defences from tight areas when their usual way of creating from the wings is neutralised tactically by the opposition.

Where Fellaini will be used by Moyes we are yet to see, considering United have the very efficient combination of Carrick and Cleverly sitting in front of the back four who go about their work well but lacks that cretive spark from deep area.  If Moyes is to stick with this system, considering the materials at his disposal, then creativity is very much needed and that a problem he will have to address in the January transfer window.  This 4-2-3-1 system which Moyes employed most times last season back at Everton, is most efficient when the one of the two infront of the back four is a deep-lying playmaker like Danielle De Rossi, Xavi Alonso, Luka Modric and many others who are can orchestrate play from midfield.

United tried and failed with bids for De Rossi and Khedira late in the transfer window, which is evidence that a play-making midfielder is a position Moyes know he has to improve in subsequent transfer windows, even despite the signing of Fellaini.

Weather Fellaini is what UNITED need, we have no choice but to wait and see.

 

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