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Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has admitted that there were tears in his eyes when former manager David Moyes was relieved of his duties by the Red Devils. Having worked with the Scot at Everton as well, Fellaini was quite close to Moyes.
He called Moyes “almost a second father” and said that he was distraught with the Scot’s dismissal.
“When he left I was sad. We had heard things on the radio and TV (about Moyes leaving). It was after a defeat to Everton,” recalled Fellaini.
“I did not know if it was true or not. Then I arrived the next day at the (training ground) canteen, and I saw him in his suit, rather than his tracksuit. I told myself: 'This is the end'.
“It was weird. After I had eaten, he summoned to his office and he told me the news. This is football. There were tears. This is normal. I am a human being. I worked with him for six years.
“He was not a second father, but almost. He helped me a lot.”
The criticism destroyed Fellaini
Manchester United finished in seventh place in Moyes’ only season in charge of the club. Fellaini had to bear the brunt of the criticism by fans, who called him names and made him the scapegoat for the disappointing season following a £27.5-million move.
He defended himself by saying, “During my first season at Manchester, the team was not performing and I was the scapegoat.
“Everything was Fellaini's fault. If you pay attention to all this (criticism), you sink. It destroyed me on every side.”
“I had nothing to lose”
The Belgian said that after Louis van Gaal’s arrival to the club, he was asked to prove himself due to the competition in the squad. He explained how he won the manager’s trust on the training field.
“I knew it was going to be difficult when he (Van Gaal) arrived because I was the scapegoat last season. So I told myself I had nothing to lose,” Fellaini said.
“I had one chat with him at the start of the season on my return from the World Cup. He told me there were a lot of players in my position and it was up to me to prove myself.
“After a few training sessions, I felt things were going well. He tested me. He put me up against players who could make things difficult for me, little, lively ones. Either one-on-one or in groups of four. He observed me in these games and watched the videos, too.”
Fellaini has regained the trust of the Old Trafford faithful with some excellent performances, especially in big matches. He has scored 5 goals this season including a goal against derby-rivals Manchester City.
