Not every player is born to play for Manchester United like Kobbie Mainoo. Some are signed from elsewhere and have a frantic time trying to re-adjust.
While Mainoo has been set up to succeed, some are set up to fail. None more so than the 2013 acquisition of Marouane Fellaini.
Fellaini was the one and only signing in summer 2013, a disastrous summer for newly appointed manager David Moyes, following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
With Ed Woodward overseeing the chaotic window, by time he signed Fellaini for £4 million more than his release clause, the move was seen as a laughable one before the big Belgian had even begun.
Marouane Fellaini troubles at Manchester United
Marouane Fellaini should have had a seamless transition, joining David Moyes, who managed him at Everton. But it didn’t work.
Moyes somehow struggled to get the best out of him, and the pressure built up on manager and player.
Fellaini was an odd fit under Louis van Gaal too, only Jose Mourinho found a pragmatic way to use him.
This week Fellaini told MUTV that his first year at Old Trafford was the worst of his career.
He explained: “I played five years for Everton, doing very well (and getting) respect from everybody. Then, you go to a big club. And mentally it’s difficult, as your football is not the same.
“You know, for me, it was the worst (season) in my career, my first year in Manchester. Mentally, too.”
Wes Brown felt sorry for Fellaini
Speaking to The Debate, Wes Brown said he had sympathy for Marouane Fellaini and did not blame him, instead pointing the blame towards management for selecting him in the wrong role.
He said: “I just felt sorry for him, every time he in played midfield he wasn’t that good but when he was push up a bit higher, obviously play a bit of a longer ball, he was unbelievable, the threat he would cause.
“And you would see it happen in games, but then the manager would then put him back in midfield and try and make him this creative player with this and he wasn’t.
“He was big, he was strong. He could be a nuisance. He was a bit more old school. But when he was anywhere near the box, and the ball was put in there, he caused all sorts of havoc.
“You know, he’d knock it down, he’d score himself, excellent in the air but I just don’t think we used him to his abilities, and he got a lot of abuse, because he was put in midfield as he tried to play that central role.”
Fellaini eventually left Manchester United in January 2019, playing the final few seasons of his career in China.
The Belgian announced his retirement this past February, leaving United fans to reflect on the good moments he enjoyed, which saw him feature in a FA Cup winning run in 2016, also picking up a League Cup and Europa League in 2017.