News of Marouane Fellaini’s contract extension this summer resulted in a mixed bag of opinions.

On one hand the Belgian midfielder is a great squad player, who offers an excellent ‘plan B’ when things aren’t going United’s way. He is deadly inside the penalty area, and clearly works extremely hard both on and off the pitch.

On the other hand though, Fellaini appeared to prolong signing a new deal for quite some time, as if he was ready to exit the club on a free transfer. It was almost as if he was holding the Red Devils to ransom at certain points.

Fellaini has signed a two-year extension though, and although not everyone is onside with it, Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has explained why he believes Mourinho was so desperate to do so.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Roberto said: “Quite simply Marouane Fellaini is a team player, a footballer who shares the best possible mentality for the team. He’s a winner and a warrior.

“Every action matters to him. Nowadays you see a lot of inconsistency from players but Marouane doesn’t understand that. For him, every action is as if it’s the last of the game – he wants to win and puts in the whole effort.”

“His size makes him awkward for opponents but he has good technical ability. Technically he is stronger than people think from the outside. But when you work with him closely you see he has important qualities.”

Fellaini will have stern competition in midfield next season, with Pogba, Matic and Herrera as well as Scott McTominay fighting for a place in the starting XI. New signing Fred is also expected to be a major contender for a midfield spot.