Well Moyes rated him. LVG tried to get rid of him, he failed and then he kept playing him because he planned on having a ridiculously small squad. Its too early to say if Mou rates him or not. We're set to spend 100m on a midfielder which speaks volumes on what he thinks about our CM
Moyes rated him, Wilmots rated him, LVG rated him and now it looks like Jose (arguably the best manager in the world) rates him.
LVG only tried to sell him in the first season and he couldn't because he picked up an injury. He turned into one of the most important members of the squad afterwards.
Ironically enough, we played our best football with Fellaini in the CAM under Van Gaal. He bagged goals against Spurs, City and Palace at the end of 14/15 which guaranteed our Champions League spot. At the end of last season, he scored goals against Everton and West Ham in the FA Cup which guaranteed our FA Cup final spot. And we would have almost definitely beaten West Ham in the league to guarantee Champions League again if Fellaini wasn't suspended. The fact that both of the goals West Ham scored in that game came from set pieces only strengthens my point.
This.
There's a perception that Fellaini has a poor touch and is akward on the ball because of how he looks. Any time he miscontrols a ball, it sticks out more because people are expecting it to happen because of his gangley look. When someone like Matic (for example) miscontrols a ball, it doesn't register with people as much.
But objectively, it isn't true. Fellani's control is quite good, his passing is adequate and he has a ton of other excellent attributes. He's a very good footballer and it's not one bit surprising that Mourinho wants to use him as Jose is able to judge things objectively and does not base his assessments on the wisdom of the crowd.
I always cringe when people come out with statements like "How is he a professional footballer?", like they could do any better. I even heard someone once say that he's Sunday League quality... Absolute rubbish talk.
Some people don't understand the game. They we should play the same Starting 11 every game, when in reality, the best managers change it up to suit their tactics and counter their opponent. We have a squad of 30+, and like it or not, we need Fellaini in the tough physical games. Cause who do we have that's stronger? We need someone that will bully players and get stuck in. People say he concedes fouls... who cares? He's there to break up play. If conceding a foul stops an attack, then job well done. That's what he's there for.
Like I said before, people will remember this sloppy error which can easily be put down to the quality of the pitch... but they will happily forget about Smalling nearly costing us the FA Cup with his stupidity. Why is that?