Not even the most optimistic of Manchester United supporters would have anticipated Erik ten Hag's side beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
16.02.2024 - 22:45 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
In the first summer of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years at Manchester United, a new midfielder was a priority. The club wanted Cesc Fabregas but saw three bids rejected by Barcelona. Thiago Alcantara was on the market, but David Moyes didn't fancy him. In the end, on deadline day, the first major signing of a new era was unveiled. Welcome to Old Trafford, Marouane Fellaini.
Maybe that was the moment that everyone realised life after Ferguson wasn't going to deliver the same riches as the previous 26 years. It was a chaotic and disastrous transfer window and with a few months of it ending Fellaini was being rated by one national newspaper as the worst signing of it.
You can understand why. He was an occasional battering ram at Everton, the shaggy-haired, 6ft 4in midfielder who was often more threatening when thrown into the opposition penalty area. Fabregas and Thiago, those Barca-reared, slight-of-stature, technicians, he was not.
To make matters worse, Moyes and his new chief executive Ed Woodward had made a mess of the deal. United initially offered £28million for Fellaini and Leighton Baines. The Belgian had a release clause of £23.5million that expired on July 31. United were aware of that but missed the deadline and a month later spent £27.5million to sign Fellaini, and just Fellaini.
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You could understand why Moyes wanted him, despite the optics of United appointing a manager from Everton and now poaching a player from Everton as well. In 2010 Moyes had described him as "as good as anyone in the league" and Fellaini, then playing as a defensive midfielder, agreed with the assessment,
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