Richard Keys says Marouane Fellaini is not up to the job at Manchester United

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Pundit says Marouane Fellaini should not be starting games for Manchester United.

Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini in action with Hull City’s Adama Diomande

Manchester United are under pressure after their poor run of form, and several players are under scrutiny.

It is no surprise that Marouane Fellaini is one of those, with the Belgian coming in for criticism every season since David Moyes brought him to the club from Everton in 2013.

Fellaini has started in midfield alongside record signing Paul Pogba in recent matches, including the 3-1 loss to Watford at the weekend.

Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini in action with Watford’s Roberto Pereyra

Television pundit Richard Keys believes Fellaini is out of his depth and should not be picked by manager Jose Mourinho.

Writing on his personal blog, Keys said: “He set up ‘not to lose’. That’s not United’s way. Every time he picks Fellaini I think Mourinho is open to that allegation.

“Quite simply, Fellaini is not a Manchester United player. He trollies about totally out of his depth, passing sideways and backwards.

“He gives too many free kicks away and there are times that his behaviour is totally unacceptable.”

There were some aspects of Fellaini’s game which stood out against Watford, with 16 ball recoveries a high number, but as Keys points out, his passing was not ambitious or subtle enough.

A 97 per cent completion rate masks the fact that only 21 out of 68 were forward passes, and with United chasing the game for much of the match, a need to be more direct could see him replaced with a player of higher quality on the ball like Michael Carrick.

Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini in action with Watford’s Etienne Capoue