Marouane Fellaini: Have United Finally Filled Their Midfield Void?

Marouane Fellaini is settling in well at Old Trafford following his big-money move from Everton on transfer deadline day. Here, Rayyan Dabbous looks whether the Belgian is capable of filling a void at United.

After countless missed-signings during the summer transfer window, Manchester United’s fans rejoiced on deadline day after their club completed the signing of Belgium international Marouane Fellaini from Everton.

Pressure was surmounting prior to his debut with the Red Devils, but the 25 year old gave a good impression when he came on against Crystal Palace and he performed prominently in United’s 4-2 win against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.

Questions are always asked when a player moves to a new club. Will he be able to transfer the form he showed at his previous club? Or will he drown in failure from high expectations? A new signing can either write a new successful chapter in his career or end up holding onto a glittering moment he once enjoyed in the past.

With Fellaini, no one doubts he has the potential to be a huge success at Old Trafford. We all know what he is capable of and he is certainly looking to impress. However, it is evident that Fellaini has a difficult task at The Theatre of Dreams. He won’t be filling just a any old position at United. He has to prove himself worthy of filling a central midfield position that has troubled United for some time.

Many fans feel Manchester United have been missing something for years. They may have won the Premiership last season, but they are not the side they once were. They have also been continuously denied of Champions League glory recently. What happened to the United that scored two last minute goals from Sheringham and Soslkjaer to win the Champions League in Camp Nou against European giants Bayern Munich back in 1999?

“Competition has risen” you may argue. However, for such a club to fail to qualify two years ago to the knockout stages of the Champions League from a group made of Benfica, Basel and Oțelul Galați is unjustified.

What is the missing piece? Well, Manchester United knows pretty well what have they been lacking for some time now and they think they may have solved the problem – by signing Marouane Fellaini.

United have been longing for a proper box-to-box midfielder. Tom Cleverly was impressive at times last season by wasn’t the answer. United’s 4-4-2 lineup requires two central midfielders. Lately, Michael Carrick has proved to be an essential member in this formation – being named in last season’s PFA Team of the Year.

Manchester United has seen many midfield duos that have brought them success in the past. It was Nicky Butt and David Beckham in 1999, and it was Carrick and Scholes who were able to fill that gap in 2008 when United defeated Chelsea on penalties in the Champions League Final in Moscow.

The Red Devils also had captain Roy Keane in their side who was regarded as a dominating central-midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play: an attitude which helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005.

So, Manchester United is longing once again for a great commanding presence in the middle of the pitch. No prodigies have come out from their Academy and United have failed to sign the likes of Fabregas, Modric and even Michael Ballack back in 2006, when they tried to woo him to Old Trafford by pledging to make him the Premiership’s highest-paid player and hand him Roy Kean’s captaincy.

Today, it seems United have found their man. Marouane Fellaini has enough experience in the Premier League and his robust physique will certainly help out Vidic and Ferdinand, while his eye for a goal also makes him a danger at the other end of the pitch.

There is something reassuring about the sight of Fellaini and Michael Carrick at the heart of United’s traditional 4-4-2 formation and if the Belgian is able to rise to the occasion, then we might see once again the Manchester United that once terrorized the Premier League, and Europe.

Do you think Fellaini is going to be a success at United? Share your views below.