Marouane Fellaini’s strategy to wait on a better contract offer from Manchester United could backfire after a poorly timed injury.
The Belgian was withdrawn after just seven minutes on the pitch in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham. He came on in the 63rd minute to replace Jesse Lingard, but was withdrawn in the 70th minute in favor of Ander Herrera and sent straight down the tunnel.
Fellaini has been dogged by a persistent left knee injury since initially suffering ligament damage in a World Cup qualifier for Belgium against Bosnia & Herzegovina in October, causing him to miss three Premier League matches. He returned but re-aggravated the injury, forcing him out for a full 6 weeks, sidelined for nine league games. He has since returned for three short substitute appearances, but it has not healed properly.
Reports in England say Fellaini is now weighing up surgery to fix the issue once and for all. The reports say the problem is with the MCL, meaning surgery would likely sideline him for 6-8 weeks.
The injury is a serious threat to Fellaini’s hope of staying at Manchester United past this season. His contract is up in the summer, and he has already turned down one contract offer from the Red Devils. Now, that strategy of working for a better offer could backfire if Manchester United decides that re-signing the 30-year-old after knee surgery is not worth his demands.
