So it appears that Marouane Fellaini’s time at Manchester United may have come to an end.
If rumours are to be believed, the former Everton man has rejected a new contract at the club with a move to either Besiktas or Roma a possibility.
Kudos must go to Fellaini for somewhat turning things around for himself at Old Trafford. Once a figure of derision among fans who found himself booed when introduced or removed from the field, he developed into an important part of the squad.
In spite of this, fans were always a little uneasy about a player of such limited technical quality (and one bought by David Moyes no less) playing so crucial a role at the club. Many will likely welcome his departure as a result.
Recent history suggests, however, that manager Jose Mourinho will be looking at the situation much differently.
Throughout his 18 months at the club, Mourinho has time and time again fallen back on the Belgian midfielder, like those scuffed old trainers you wedge your feet into when you’re walking 50 metres down the shop to get some milk.
They get the job done, they’re even pretty comfortable and most certainly practical at times, but you have no good reason to wear them when you’ve got a dozen nicer pairs under the stairs.
Mourinho will not be happy to see this fall-back option go, but there’s an argument to be made that Manchester United are already seeing the benefits of their manager being forced to think about his team beyond the “Fellaini era”.
That argument is personified in none other than Scott McTominay, the young central midfielder who has stepped into the fray since Fellaini left Wembley with an injury on January 31.
Standing at 6-foot-3 after shooting up a ridiculous 10 inches during a period of 18 months, the 21-year-old has provided evidence to his manager that a physical presence in midfield doesn’t have to be just that.
While McTominay is no Paul Pogba (and he doesn’t need to be because he literally plays alongside him), the benefit of his selection in midfield is that it offers Manchester United the option to mix things up.
As Roy Keane screamed at Rio Ferdinand, "Pass the f***ing ball forward" | @RobRedmond10 https://t.co/mnPdcvY7Ma
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 26, 2018
Selecting Fellaini tends to give Mourinho one fairly telegraphed outlet in attack: his big old arms, legs and head bashing into things and knocking the ball down for others, and while McTominay is strong enough to hold his own in midfield, he can also provide what Fellaini rarely does: quick-thinking, discipline, composure on the ball and incisive passing.
His selection in midfield also and perhaps crucially gives United a pipeline between defence and attack, someone to intercept passes and immediately look for a player up-field or in a better position to move it onto.
Essentially, in McTominay, Mourinho might just have the player United knew Michael Carrick was and hoped Morgan Schneiderlin would become.
At Southampton, the French midfielder was what is often described as a “dynamo” or “linchpin”. He possessed an ability to instinctively sniff out where the opposition’s passes were going, get there first and put his side on the front foot.
Gareth Southgate and Alex McLeish are getting ready to do battle over Scott McTominay. Sadly, not literally. https://t.co/42gAz2C4kM
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 2, 2018
But while Schneiderlin faded at Old Trafford – either by a lack of opportunities or by simply not being up to the required standard – McTominay has had no such issues in his admittedly few appearances so far.
He is a United product, which suggests that he knows exactly what is expected of him and that he will be given more leeway by supporters, but above all else he has consistently risen to the occasion when asked to prove his worth.
Introduced slowly before being trusted to handle the big occasion, the Lancaster native appears utterly uncowed by the pressure to fill a role which is currently and noticeably vacant at the club.
It has taken time and he is far from the finished product, but his gradual improvement and performance against Chelsea – including his handling of Eden Hazard and his constant awareness of the need to move things along – suggest that the departure of a Mourinho favourite could prove a blessing for everyone at Old Trafford.
