When Roberto Martinez announced the Belgium squad on Friday, he didn’t include Marouane Fellaini because the midfielder was not in a position to play a full 90 minutes since returning from an injury.
An injury to Paul Pogba forced Jose Mourinho to include the former Everton man in the starting lineup in the derby defeat to Manchester City, even though the Portuguese tactician admitted the player wasn’t ready to play the entire match.
He was on the pitch until the final whistle.
Het Laatste Nieuws reports the 30-year-old played against Pep Guardiola’s side through pain, which was against medical advice. He did this because he’s willing to ‘run through walls’ for the Manchester United manager.
They further go on to mention the Spanish coach decided against including Fellaini for De Rode Duivels squad because the World Cup semi-finalists came under pressure from the Premier League club.
This is mainly because he returned to Old Trafford with an injury during October’s international break, which left Mourinho furious because he felt the national team’s medical staff had underestimated the injury.
Belgium wanted to avoid a similar situation this month and HLN claims the 20-time English champions have already sent a clear message to Fellaini’s national team, making them know ‘who is the boss’.
If what’s mentioned in the report regarding the 54-year-old manager being angry with the midfielder’s injury in October is true, it is another example that shows how highly Mourinho rates the player.
