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Marouane Fellaini has signed a new deal with Manchester United after speculation that he could leave this summer. The Belgian is currently in Russia with the national team, which has progressed into the Round of 16 of the World Cup. Before penning his new contract, Fellaini was said to have held talks with rivals, Arsenal, over a possible move over to North London.
Arsenal fans were utterly shocked after seeing reports that he could soon be playing in Emirates. Not too long ago, it was reported that after the 30-year-old had met with Sven Mislintat, he rejected the deal offered by Arsenal. The club's fans heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the news.
The central midfielder joined Old Trafford back in 2013. Since then, he has made 156 appearances, scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists. He can be considered one of the most experienced in the Premier League, having started playing for Everton since 2008. However, in the most recent season, his chances of playing under Jose Mourinho has been significantly reduced.
Throughout the whole season, Fellaini made only 23 appearances and netted five times in all competitions. Mourinho perhaps still sees that the player could be of some use to his side in the coming season. Given Fellaini's height of 1.94m, he is one of the tallest central midfielders playing in England. That has given him an added advantage in aerial duels and also made him a huge threat in his opponent's penalty box.
In his tweets, Fellaini thanked his manager and elaborated that he was overjoyed to continue his career as a Manchester United player. Mourinho is looking to bring in a couple more players in order to improve his squad so that they can challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Arch rivals, Manchester City, had their hands on the trophy last season while United finished second in the competition. Clearly, not everyone was pleased to hear the news. Meanwhile, fans from other clubs are rejoicing over the fact that Fellaini will not be joining them. Here was how Twitter reacted to the news of his extension:
