Does marouane fellaini have a future at man utd under solskjaer?

* MAROUANE FELLAINI WAS RELIED UPON BY JOSE MOURINHO TO CHANGE GAMES LATE ON * BUT NOW HE HAS LEFT OLD TRAFFORD AND BEEN REPLACED BY OLE GUNNER SOLSKJAER * THE NEW BOSS HAS PROMISED TO PLAY

THE UNITED WAY AND GIVE KIDS A CHANCE  * SO WHERE DOES FELLAINI FIT INTO THE NEW REGIME AT OLD TRAFFORD?  By KIERAN GILL FOR MAILONLINE Published: 04:57 EDT, 29 December 2018 | Updated:

14:07 EDT, 29 December 2018 After an abysmal first half at Anfield, one in which Manchester United had been outplayed and outfought by Liverpool, Jose Mourinho perhaps sensed his job was on

the line. So the Manchester United manager turned to his bench. Who to choose? Paul Pogba, his World Cup-winning midfielder? Juan Mata, his humble magician? Anthony Martial, maybe? Instead,

Mourinho turned to the man who had saved his bacon before. Marouane Fellaini walked on to the pitch to add a spot of physicality but served only to become a hit on social media. Fellaini’s

primary contribution was to shoot so waywardly that he knocked a steward off his seat by the corner flag. The clip was still being shared when Mourinho was sacked 48 hours later. It was the

type of effort which will be a picture question at a pub quiz in the future. Where does the ball end up? Circle A, in the goal, B, by the goal, or C, over there in the corner. So now the

31-year-old has lost the manager who loved him in Mourinho and instead gained a new boss in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who will need winning over. Solskjaer has already promised to play the United

way. Ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson’s impending visit to Carrington on Saturday, he said: ‘If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.’ In training this week, he has had Angel Gomes, 18, Mason

Greenwood, 17, James Garner, 17, Tahith Chong, 19 and DJ Buffonge, 20, work with the first team. Fellaini must fight for a spot in Solskjaer’s side and show why his particular style of play,

with its physicality and aggression, can be useful to United. To his credit, that was precisely what he did with Belgium boss Roberto Martinez at the 2018 World Cup. From the group games to

the semi-finals, the Belgian’s contribution went: unused sub, sub, starter, sub, starter, starter. FELLAINI THIS SEASON Premier League starts: 6 Goals: 2 Assists: 1  Bookings: 1 ... and

under Solskjaer: Appearances: 0 starts (1 sub)  Minutes played: 3  It was his introduction, along with Nacer Chadli, against Japan that shifted the momentum of the game in Belgium’s favour,

when they had found themselves trailing by two goals. They wound up winning 3-2 and he scored. The man may be Marmite but he has a knack for cropping up with the odd crucial goal for United,

too. He equalised in stoppage time against Derby County in the EFL Cup in September then scored the late Champions League winner against Young Boys in November. Last season, it was his

90th-minute strike against Arsenal which secured a 2-1 win in Arsene Wenger’s final visit to Old Trafford. Against Liverpool, however, not even Fellaini and his razor sharp elbows could save

Mourinho. Since the Portuguese’s sacking, United have played two Premier League games. In the first, a 5-1 win over Cardiff, Fellaini was handed three minutes. In the second, 3-1 against

Huddersfield, he stayed sat on the bench. Next up is Bournemouth at home on Sunday. Solskjaer was a man of his word on Boxing Day, handing 5ft 3in Gomes a late cameo at Old Trafford. The

kids will be given time to show what they can do. Fellaini must hope for the same opportunities. A look at his Wikipedia page demonstrates the Belgian’s curious ups and downs. In 2012, for

example, he was ranked 60th by The Guardian in ‘The 100 Best Footballers in the World’. Two years later, he was named as one of the ‘Ten worst buys of the Premier League season’ by the Daily

Telegraph, having joined United for £27.5million the previous summer. Fellaini’s playing style suited what Solskjaer’s predecessor Mourinho wanted at times. Now, in this new-look United

side, the midfielder must prove his worth.