Danny Higginbotham tips unlikely star to have impact on team's goal threat

That’s the view of Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham, who says the Belgium international can play a key role for Jose Mourinho’s team this season.

After a summer of discontent which saw the club’s hierarchy veto the manager’s moves for key transfer targets, Fellaini has emerged as a benefactor of the situation.

The Portuguese boss made it clear that he wanted to bring in defensive reinforcements, with the likes of Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng linked with a move.

And it looked like 30-year-old Fellaini was on his way out of Old Trafford after enduring mixed success since joining from Everton in 2013.

But his fortunes have since turned around after it was in fact Mourinho who pushed for his to be handed a new contract when his superiors were prepared to allow him to leave.

A divisive figure among supporters, Fellaini is now one of the Portuguese’s most trusted men.
After a poor start the new season resulted in the Red Devils losing two of their opening three matches, the manager turned to the 6ft 4in midfielder for the next game at Burnley.

Fellaini was brought in to partner Nemanja Matic at Turf Moor and Higginbotham, think this tactic is something that Mourinho will use going forward after the team came away with a 2-0 win and their first clean sheet of the season.

“I know it sounds a bit bizarre but if he'd have got that commanding centre-back that he wanted then there would have been less responsibility on the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to come back and do some of the dirty work,” he told Sky Sports. “However, he just doesn't trust his central defensive partnership.

“What we saw against Burnley, and I think it's something we will see against Watford as well, is that he had his two centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling and he got Matic and Fellaini to just sit in front. If anything Matic was the one that went a little bit further forward.

“Now, against Brighton and Tottenham, Lukaku was unbelievably isolated. He was up on his own and had no support, but what happened was the knock-on effect of having Fellaini and Matic in front of the two centre-backs was that Shaw and Valencia could play as wingers.

"And because they were playing as wingers and giving them width, in the first 45 minutes Sanchez, Lingard and Lukaku, their movement was irresistible.

“It was absolutely brilliant and it came about because you had this defensive box."
Higginbotham thinks that Fellaini, who played a key part in Belgium’s run to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, never gets the credit he deserves because of his style of play.

“Just because he's not pleasing on the eye he doesn't get the credit he deserves,” he added.
“What he does do is he allows players in front of him to go and express themselves.

"Would he be playing if Mourinho had got the centre-back he wanted? Possibly not but this is probably Mourinho's way of saying what I can do is keep us defensively strong whilst also going forward and scoring goals."

United travel to Watford on Saturday looking to build on the Burnley result.

Mourinho’s men are sure to be tested once more by Troy Deeney and co. at Vicarage Road with the Hornets having won all four of their matches so far this season.