EVANS LIFT OFF KLOPP
NINE months on, the decision to sell Marouane Fellaini looks a bigger mistake by the day.
Manchester United are floundering, they are desperately short in midfield and Fellaini is enjoying a new challenge in the Chinese Super League.
But the man himself believes they made an even bigger error when they got rid of Jose Mourinho with the honeymoon period for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already well and truly over.
Fellaini, who joined Shandong Luneng in January, has questioned the mentality at the club, says they lack experience and insisted Mourinho deserves far more credit than he is given for his two and a half year reign at Old Trafford.
The former United midfielder said: “Mourinho, for the first season, he did amazingly, he improved the team, won things.
“OK, the second season, was a bit more difficult but he tried, you know, and did his best to help the team. Then they decided to sack him.
“For me, yes they were too quick to sack him because a manager like that comes and he needs a lot of players to do his own philosophy. He wanted to build his team and after two and a half years they decided to sack him because the results were not there. “They brought in one of the best managers in the world in Jose Mourinho, he wanted to build a team and they sacked him. It’s not easy to build a team in that time, you need more than two years.
“I don’t know what they will do with this manager Solskjaer but, for me, to win things and to improve, you need time.
“That’s the problem with the coach and the direction, they have to find a solution together.
“Now you have a new manager, they wanted young players and that’s what happens when you play with just young players. They will be up and down.
”In football, you can’t play with just young players, you need a mix.
”To win games, to win titles, to win big games you need experience. You can win with young players but not every game.”
It was Solskjaer who decided to sell Fellaini and even United legend Gary Neville claimed last weekend they would have been far better off with the Belgium international. They sold Romelu Lukaku and loaned out Alexis Sanchez to bring in young players.
Fellaini was United’s Plan B during his six years at Old Trafford, their go-to guy for big goals and they now miss his presence in midfield with Fred struggling, Paul
Pogba looking unhappy and Scott Mctominay unable to carry the team on his own. But bigger than all that, Fellaini is concerned about the way their football is going in general. “They are in transition, they want to build a team, but for a good team, you need time and to make the right decisions. You need the right players,” he added.
“It’s always nice to receive a comment from Gary Neville like that. I did my time there, I won things. OK we didn’t win the league but we finished second.” Fellaini helped United win an FA Cup, League Cup, and the Europa League. Their second-placed finish under Mourinho – for which the manager was mocked after describing it as his greatest achievement –now looks completely different.
But Fellaini knew his time was up at Old Trafford when Solskjaer did not even pick him for the FA Cup games. “The players who left are players of experience,” he said. “The coach decided he didn’t need them. That’s his choice. “He decided he didn’t need Sanchez or Lukaku. That’s his problem.
“No, he didn’t have a conversation whether I will play or not. I was thinking I would start in the FA Cup but I didn’t because he put young players in.
“After that, I knew I would not be part of his team and I accept that, that’s his choice. No problem.” Fellaini is now enjoying his new lease of life in China and watches from afar at his former clubs with the genuine hope things pick up for both United and Everton.
“I have only positive things to say about Chinese football.
“They have good players, are improving every time because foreign players are coming, foreign managers and foreign directors. They want to improve because the president of China wants to go to the World Cup,” he added.
“I’m super happy and always improving. I’m happy with it because in England the intensity is super high, every year it gets higher so it was a good change for me.” League One: 3pm STEVE EVANS wants to make Gillingham the Liverpool of League One – after spending some time studying Jurgen Klopp. As part of his UEFA Pro Licence course, the Gills boss (below) travelled to Germany to watch Klopp while he was in charge of Borussia Dortmund.
And Evans believes he is very similar to the Kop manager.
He said: “We are passionate and we care.
“I watched Jurgen at Dortmund and studied him on the training ground. There is so much passion and so much commitment.
“That is why Liverpool do what they do, the players don’t get a minute.
“But you want to play for him. That is what we are trying to do here.
“My goal is to take Gillingham to the Championship.”