Fellaini was briefly Manchester United’s captain, let that sink in
Marouane Fellaini was named captain of Manchester United on Sunday verse Sunderland, replacing the injured Wayne Rooney.
When Rooney injured both his ankles against West Brom a week and a half ago, it gave manager Jose Mourinho an interesting opportunity. With Rooney’s exit from the club coming sooner than later, Mourinho was given the chance to show the world what post-Rooney Manchester will look like. One of the things he got to do was name a different captain, if only for one game. He chose Marouane Fellaini.
Fellaini is one of the most disliked players in all of soccer. He is known for cowardly defensive tactics, usually involving his prodigious elbows. He can’t dribble, he can’t shoot and he’s inconsistent in the air, which is supposed to be his strength.
Many look to the team’s captain as the player that determines the spirit of the team. The manager usually appoints him because his style of play matches what the manager wants the team to emulate. Mourinho was essentially saying that he wanted his team to be slow, unsportsmanlike and ignorant of the of concept pace.
What does this say about the club’s future under Mourinho? It’s hard to say. If Rooney leaves after this season, Fellaini almost certainly won’t be the permanent captain. But what this Sunday did show us is Mourinho will continue to make unpopular decisions, sometimes just for the sake of it.
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It also shows us that Mourinho isn’t going to discourage his players from pursuing the borderline dangerous play that some of them, like Ander Herrera, have received a reputation for.
The Red Devils are currently pushing for a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. They’ll probably reach it. But it’s not going to be pretty.