Where Fellaini is now - Man Utd's "worst buy" who was labelled "thug" by referee

It has been just over nine years since Marouane Fellaini became the first Manchester United signing of the David Moyes era - and life for the big Belgian has been eventful to say the least since that fateful move.

Moyes saw first-hand the type of impact Fellaini could have after bringing him to Everton from Standard Liege. But while the afro-haired maestro was a big fan favourite on Merseyside, his arrival was not well received in Manchester.

United shelled out £27.5million to bring imposing the midfielder to Old Trafford, but Fellaini was devoid of the presence and confidence that saw him adapt to Premier League life so quickly elsewhere and looked a shadow of the player who had previously earned rave reviews at Goodison Park.

Just a few months later, Moyes was sacked from his role at the club. And just to compound a rotten year for Fellaini, he had the ignominy of being named as one of the worst Premier League signings of the season by The Telegraph.

Things didn't especially improve after that, either. Unfortunately, Fellaini was jeered by his own fans on more than one occasion throughout his Old Trafford career, while he became a figure of ridicule for others.

And if getting pelters from your own supporters isn't bad enough, Fellaini was showered with even more criticism following an ugly clash during a Europa League showdown with Liverpool back in March 2016. The big midfielder, who had tangled with former Reds man Emre Can in the first leg of the tie, was incredibly fortunate to avoid seeing red after cracking the German midfielder with his elbow in an aerial duel.

Join the debate! What did you make of Fellaini's time at Man Utd? Let us know here.

But the incident left former Premier League official Howard Webb incensed - so much so that he branded Fellaini a "thug". The former referee raged: "It's one thing imposing yourself on the game, but another thing being a thug on the pitch."

And Webb even hinted that referees were more than aware of Fellaini's rough and ready reputation. He continued: "We know what Fellaini's about when we're refereeing. We've seen it all throughout his career, but he seems to be getting worse and worse. Week in, week out, he can't get through a game without violently throwing his arm into people's faces.

"He should have been sent off, pure and simple. He gets away with it week in, week out—I think people are getting a little bit fed up of it."

Things did settle down briefly for Fellaini after that unsavoury incident. But ironically, the United fanbase only started to soften towards Fellaini and his physical game during the final months of his eventful stint at the club.

After growing tired of his super-sub role under Jose Mourinho, Fellaini was lured to the Far East by the riches of the Chinese Super League in January 2019.

He eventually departed Old Trafford with a record of 22 goals in 177 appearances and as an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League winner - a respectable return for a player who was deemed to be unwanted but managed to force his way into many different manager's plans.

While other high-profile names were not content to stick around in China for long, Fellaini is still on the books at Shandong Taishan over three-and-a-half years after his arrival. During that period, Fellaini has rediscovered his mojo and even helped fire Taishan to a league and cup double in the 2020/21 campaign.

The midfielder was linked with a return to the Premier League as recently as January, but given that Fellaini has settled comfortably into his new life in the Far East, it's unlikely he'll be tempted to return to these shores any time soon.

Read more

Top Man Utd stories

Ten Hag's telling Ronaldo comments

Ajax's 2017 scouting report of Martinez

Pogba's angry Ronaldo response

Greenwood's inclusion in squad explained