MAROUANE FELLAINI SUGGESTS that Manchester United could pay the price for failing to renew his contract last year.
The Belgium international’s deal at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season and there has been no decisive breakthrough in talks with the club over an extension.
Fellaini, who has struggled for game time in 2017-18 largely due to a knee ligament injury, came off the bench to score the winner against Arsenal on Sunday, after which manager Jose Mourinho claimed an agreement over fresh terms was “almost there”.
The 30-year-old says he has not yet made a final decision, though, and has accused United of failing to resolve the contract dispute when they had more time on their side.
“The whole staff are doing everything for me to stay,” he told Sport/Voetbalmagazine.
The club didn’t renew my contract last year. Now, I’m in a strong position, especially since Mourinho has said he wants to keep me.
“Last year, I went to the coach and said I wanted a new contract. I then had a second meeting, but I won’t ask 10 times. Afterwards, I became important for the team…
“A good player costs at least €50 million. The club knows they went wrong there.
“If I don’t have physical problems, I will go to the World Cup. Afterwards, we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision yet.”
Fellaini has been linked with a free transfer to clubs in Europe, including Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Besiktas.
A move to the Chinese Super League has also been suggested and the former Everton man admits he could be tempted to head to Asia.
“I’m open to everything. I wouldn’t have a problem with life in China. I love to discover other places and other cultures. And I won’t go there alone. If I go, it’s with the family.
“I’m now 30 years old, at the end of a contract and negotiating with Manchester United. There are several clubs showing interest. I’m waiting for what will happen.”
When asked if he wanted a new challenge after nearly five years at Old Trafford, Fellaini added: “Maybe, but you can’t forget that I play at one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s going very well, I know my team-mates and the staff perfectly, everyone respects me. Why should I change?
“But it doesn’t make any sense to anticipate things. I’m very comfortable at the moment.”
The difference in being placed in pot 2 to pot 3 is huge.
Obliviously one is called pot two the other pot three.cant get anymore different than that
*Obviously
Damn auto correct!!
Main point being that nearly all the teams in pot 3 are better than us. How the hell did we rank above them?
@Fin Tastic. These qualifiers are based on previous Euro qualifying campaigns. Generally we have a better record than the teams in pot 3 for the Euros. Qualifying for 2012 has made the biggest difference here.
How Ireland are a pot 2 team is beyond me.most of the Pot 3 teams are far better than ireland.
It’s 40% based on the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, 40% based on the entire euro 2012 campaign (including the finals) and 20% based on the 2010 World Cup campaign (also including the finals). You get bonus points for playing in playoffs and for making the finals, so both the France playoff in 2009, the Estonia one in 2011 and the finals appearance in 2012 earned us bonus points. That’s why we’re second seeds.
Bad news is FIFA use a totally different system and things are so bad we could be fifth seeds for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers if we don’t buck up our act.
@Finn Maccul ehh no, most of pot 3 are not etter than us, two are, perhaps three.
“better”
… because Romania lost their play-off and that kept us in pot 2 by the skin of our teeth.
Some of the pot 4 teams would give us a run for our money home and away in a qualifying group!
Spot on Mick . If we’re going to be honest about this we belong in Pot 4. It’s all part of the painful process of recognizing the problem before the healing begins. It should come as no surprise to anyone if we do not qualify .
Agree, Gerry. But I’m a little more hopful this time around. All the Trap stuff aside – with anyone managing – we were always going to be fighting for third or fourth place with Austria once Germany and Sweden came out in the World Cup qualifying group.
My hope is that the new management team instill some vigour and edge on the players and we get a kind draw – then we have a decent chance under the new expanded system of qualification.
But you are right, at best, we are really a fourth tier seeded nation.
The seedings are always messed up between FIFA and UEFA, just look where Iceland are!
Got my fingers crossed for:
Greece
Us
Norway
Latvia
Moldova
Gibraltar
About as do-able a group as we can get. COYBIG!
Would love an away trip to Gibraltar.
You’d actually be going to Portugal as the Gibraltar national stadium has to be rebuilt or improved to meet UEFA guidelines. Close enough I guess :P
Expect:
Spain
us
Turkey
Poland
Iceland
Kazakhstan
I think gibraltar are in with a good shout of winning it.They’ve come a long way in the last 3 months and have some top quality players.I’ll be throwing a few hundred on them anyway!
I don’t know, I’m putting my yearly wages up for a Liechtenstein vs San Marino EURO final.
Their defence is a rock
The odds look good for us- 23 out of 53 teams qualify- 1st and 2nd in every group automatically qualify and even after that there are still 5 places up for grabs through best runner up and playoffs. Fingers crossed
If we don’t qualify we need to stop playing football!
Need to stop laying foreign games and sending our hard earned cash to England to pay woman abusing drug addict Wendy ball players.
Says the guy sporting a Celtic Jersey.
Whoa, Gibraltar are now in UEFA? That’s news to me.
Fingers crossed for years lads…
We’re going to win the euros!
I don’t know, whole of Europe is gone to pot.
I wouldn’t like to be in the same group as the North.
Ideal group…
Bosnia,
Ireland,
Slovakia,
Estonia,
N. Ireland,
San Marino
Won’t make euro 16 anyway pot 1 or pot 5 makes no difference.
Euro 16 or Hill 16.
Better not say anymore I might get bitten
Would love to draw Northern Ireland. They’re even more useless than we are. Didn’t they lose recently to the mighty Luxembourg?
Maybe they are but anything can happen in a derby.
Maybe a derby game with two teams in the same league. But we are miles better than them with better players. We hammered the Nordies 5-0 in the Carling Nations Cup.
The best outcome might be (something of a Euro-Eastern adventure):
Bosnia
Ireland
Montenegro
Belarus
Georgia
San Marino
The nightmare might be:
Spain
Ireland
Serbia
Poland
Iceland
Kazakhstan
There should be an alternative Euro’s between Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Malta, Andorra, San Marino & Gibraltar.
….who’s your money on?