Image Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
Louis van Gaal has confirmed that the divisive Marouane Fellaini will play as a striker for Manchester United this season.
Speaking in a press conference, the manager confirmed that Fellaini, who hasn’t exactly lit up the pitch since he moved to United from Everton, would be placed in an attacking role this season, saying: “He can play as a number 6 or number 8 but this year he’ll be more a number 9 or number 10 as we have players in the other positions.”
Fellaini, who joined the Dutchman during the conference, added: “For me, it’s not important where I play – the most important thing is to win.” Fellaini has mostly been overlooked since moving to Old Trafford following David Moyes’ acquisition of the player from the Merseyside club, and with Man U starting off this current season with poor attacking play centered around an underperforming Wayne Rooney, many fans will undoubtedly question Van Gaal’s decision to lay this responsibility on Fellaini’s shoulders.
Image Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
While Fellaini told the press that he knows “the philosophy of the manager” and that he is “looking forward to doing well and scoring some goals,” there will be many who question whether he is capable of doing so. United may be enjoying an unbeaten start to this season, but with poor displays up front in which they have scored in just two of their last three league games, with one of those goals being an own goal from Kyle Walker, they will certainly need to up their game considerably for the rest of the season.
Van Gaal is finding his post as the club’s manager coming under considerable amounts of fire from fans who are concerned by the team’s underwhelming past few performances. With them having missed out on signing Pedro, who has made his way to Chelsea and made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist in his first game, appointing Fellaini as chief goalscorer rather than looking at opportunities outside of the club is not a decision that will sit well with many fans of the club.
