Manchester United have reportedly triggered a one-year extension clause in Marouane Fellaini’s contract that will keep the midfielder at the club until 2018.
ESPN have reported that Manchester United have extended midfielder Marouane Fellaini’s contract with the club, triggering their option of a one-year extension on his current deal to secure his services until 2018.
It has been a bittersweet season for Marouane Fellaini. He started the campaign as a regular in Jose Mourinho’s side in the midfield pivot with Paul Pogba before losing his place in the side to the resurgent Ander Herrera.
Things went from bad to worse for the Belgium international when, coming on as a late substitute in a Premier League encounter against his former side Everton, he conceded a penalty in the dying stages of the game.
Leighton Baines converted from the spot and the Red Devils lost two points as the match ended 1-1. And, it was Fellaini who came under fire from the Manchester United faithfuls across various social media platforms. He was jeered by the fans as he came on in the dying stages of the home fixture against Tottenham.
This week, however, Fellaini atoned for that costly error against the Toffees, as he headed in a late goal to ensure a crucial 2-0 win for Manchester United against Hull City in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
The journey from zero to hero for Fellaini mirrors his entire career at Manchester United so far.
Signed for £27.5 million from Everton in 2013 during David Moyes’ ill-fated reign as the Manchester United manager, Fellaini signed an initial four-year contract with the club with an option to extend it in the final 12 months of the deal.
Fellaini was the only signing the Scottish manager made in the summer of 2013, and was a hugely unpopular figure at Manchester United that season and was often made the scapegoat for the club’s failures in that campaign.
However, he started regularly under Louis van Gaal and scored several crucial goals for the team in the two years under the Dutchman, particularly against Everton in the semi-final of the FA Cup last season, one that ensured Manchester United’s progression into the final, which United would go on to win.
The report from ESPN states that their sources have informed them that Fellaini signed the contract extension last month, after Jose Mourinho had made it known to the Belgian and his representatives that he remained an important part of the manager’s plans, despite rumours linking him with the likes of Inter and AC Milan.
So, it looks like Fellaini has turned a corner at Manchester United, as he figures prominently in Jose Mourinho’s plans, especially now, with Morgan Schneiderlin sealing a £22 million move to Everton, and seems to finally be embraced by the club’s supporters as well.