Premier League rumors: Marouane Fellaini staying with Manchester United?

With transfer rumors abuzz at Manchester United, no name is safe. One of the names included in the transfer rumors is the big Belgian center midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who has recently been linked with a move to Galatasaray.

As is the case with the summer transfer window, no name is safe when it comes to transfer rumors. Of those who have been linked with a move away from their current clubs is Marouane Fellaini.

Fellaini, 29, has recently been linked with Turkish club Galatasaray. But with Jose Mourinho stating how important Fellaini is to United, that is looking less and less likely by the day.

This may come with a sense of disappointment to a fair deal of Red Devil supporters, as Fellaini has been one of the most criticized players at the club since his arrival. His aggressive style of play and often clumsy style of tackling has earned him the ire of many of the supporters. Comments like “he fouls too much” or “he’s not a ‘Manchester United player'” have been thrown around regularly.

But if Fellaini is so poor, then why does Mourinho value him so much? It’s simple, really. It’s because Fellaini knows his role, and he plays it well. A hard-nosed, ball-winning midfielder is something every club can value, whether coming off the bench or starting. And when you take into account the defensive-minded style of soccer that Mourinho appreciates, it becomes significantly less surprising that he wants Fellaini to stay.

Fellaini has thrived under Mourinho, undeniably having his best year since arriving in Manchester. He was fantastic in the Europa League campaign that resulted in a trophy for United, and a return to the Champions League.

Appearing in 11 matches in the Europa League last season, starting in seven of them, Fellaini bagged himself a goal, had two assists, completed 83.5 percent of his passes, had two tackles per 90 as well as 1.1 interceptions per 90. Solid numbers for a defensive midfielder who knows his role well.

Fellaini was just as impressive in his play, if not more so, in the Premier League last year. In 28 appearances, starting in 18 of them, he scored a single goal, completed 86% of his passes, completed two tackles per 90, had one interception per 90 and had 1.5 fouls per 90. To put the fouls into perspective, that was less per 90 than Paul Pogba (2.1), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1.9) and Ander Herrera (1.5).

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While it should be said that he does tend to be a bit reckless, the numbers prove that he doesn’t foul nearly as much as some of the fan favorites. This points to the fact that supporters do not truly dislike Fellaini, but rather that he is not, and never will be, an attacking-minded midfielder.

The other key characteristic that Fellaini has, and one that goes almost without saying, is how effective he is in the air. Belgian rarely loses an aerial duel, making him a useful tool for set pieces and when defending an aerial bombarding at the end of matches. Fellaini is arguably one of the best players in the air in soccer, and this is something that should not be undervalued.

But in Jose Mourinho’s defensively structured system of soccer, Fellaini has a very important role to play. And with Mourinho stating it would be easier to buy himself than Fellaini, it doesn’t look like the big Belgian will be leaving Old Trafford any time soon.