Manchester United Secures Fellaini

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Defending English Premier League champions, and European champions for that matter, Manchester United finally obtained Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini from fellow English league team Everton. The transfer fee was reportedly £27 million. September 2nd was the deadline for any transfers to occur before the transfer window opens back up again in January.

Fellaini had long been the object of Manchester United’s affection, but it took an 11th hour deal on transfer deadline day to secure his services. And it was not until close to an hour after the window closed that Everton announced that the two sides had completed the deal just before the 11 PM deadline.

The 25 year old Fellaini was born in Belgium to Morrocan parents. He went on to star for one of the top Belgian clubs, Standard Liege, before moving on to Everton in 2008. He was named Everton’s Young Player of the Season for the 2008-2009 season. He has made 42 appearances for the Belgian National Team. And if you’re trying to spot Marouane on the pitch, you’ll have no difficulty at all, with his 6’5” frame and afro hair style.

Fellaini had been linked to United all summer, but Everton was steadfast in its refusal to sell. There was a release clause on Fellaini that the Red Devils refused to meet and eventually it expired. United continued to chase Fellaini, however, and with just hours to go before the deadline, Fellaini handed in a transfer request. And that may have been the final bit of juice to get the deal done. And it appears that Man U will indeed need that juice, as they currently sit seventh in the Premiership.

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