#3 Nobody is really sure what he does
Versatility can often be a great attribute as a footballer, and the ability to play multiple positions is often something a manager craves in a player. Fellaini’s United teammate Wayne Rooney, for instance, has been deployed as a striker, a deep-lying playmaker and even a winger during his time at Old Trafford.
Fellaini, however, is versatile in a different way, that being mainly that nobody is really sure what his best position is and what exactly he offers to the team. Under Everton, he made his name largely as a box-to-box midfielder, but at United – partially due to the three changes in managers he’s seen in his time there – it doesn’t seem like anyone really knows how to deploy the afro-sporting Belgian.
Moyes used him largely in a similar role to the one he had at Everton, but Louis van Gaal tended to feature him more as a striker, in a battering ram-type role.
His goal return just doesn’t justify his role as a forward though, even when you take into account the nuisance he makes of himself in the penalty box. Last season saw him score just four goals in 34 appearances and this season he’s managed the same number despite making 45 appearances.
But as a midfielder, he doesn’t seem to really be in Mourinho’s plans either, especially as a starter. The Portuguese has largely preferred starting Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba together in United’s midfield, and with the likes of Juan Mata and Michael Carrick still at the club too, it seems like Fellaini is a dispensable part.
