Marouane Fellaini runs to celebrate with Jose Mourinho
Not Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s 253-goal record scorer who has returned to his boyhood club, Everton.
Not Romelu Lukaku, who is averaging a goal a game since swapping Merseyside for Manchester in a £75 million move.
But Marouane Fellaini.
Ungainly, awkward, much mocked, the man written off as the £27.5 million flop, the player who was supposed to be the indictment of David Moyes in his time at Old Trafford? Yes, that Marouane Fellaini.
But he was also arguably the most influential player in United’s Europa League final win over Ajax, the footballer who has been Mourinho’s super-sub so far this season and the man who could be charged with replacing the injured Paul Pogba today.
The United boss called Fellaini when he was appointed. He knew he wanted him from day one.
I always thought he was a player with special qualities
Jose Mourinho on Marouane Fellaini
He explained: “I always thought he was a player with special qualities. Players with special qualities are players you want in your team or squad. I knew that he was a player with a lot to give.
“Marouane is performing very well, hopefully because he feels I respect him as a player. The relationships between the players and the manager are very important in their performance level, in their confidence levels and self-esteem levels.”
If Mourinho gave himself some of the credit for Fellaini’s impact, he shrugged off the praise for signing Lukaku, who has scored six times in his brief Manchester United career.
The striker was another big Belgian he rang, but Mourinho claimed he did not convince Lukaku to join. “I don’t think it was my influence,” he insisted.
“We paid the money that Everton asked for and we paid the player the wages that his agent asked for and we paid the agents the commission that they asked for. I think that was the way. I don’t see another reason.”
While United are benefiting from Lukaku’s prolific start, Everton have discovered he is virtually irreplaceable. Rooney is their only league scorer. Lukaku has managed more goals on his own than his old club have got between them. He has had more shots on target.
Manchester United players battle it out in bowling match
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Wayne Rooney returns to Manchester United as Everton's on Premier League goalscorer this season
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And while Everton boss Ronald Koeman had hoped to sign another striker, he admitted he was never going to get a 25-goal forward, as Lukaku was last season.
He said: “It was close to impossible to get someone in who will score that amount of goals. We don’t have that striker. It is difficult.”
Koeman, who is looking to summer signings Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen to contribute the goals Lukaku used to provide, admitted his relationship with his top scorer had its difficulties.
He wanted a natural goalscorer to offer more to the team. We had enough fights about how he needs to press, how he needs to run,” he said.
“But in the box, with opportunities to score, he is one of the best.”
And Ashley Young is in no doubt that Rooney is as well. The versatile United player said: “He has not got legendary status for no reason. He was a great servant to the club.
“He won more than 100 caps and (is England’s) highest goalscorer. He also holds the record for goals here. That speaks for itself.”
