Marouane Fellaini: Manchester United midfielder completes Shandong Luneng move

The Belgium international spent five and a half years at Old Trafford but does not feature in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans after Jose Mourinho's sacking

Marouane Fellaini has completed his move from Manchester United to Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng for an undisclosed fee, understood to be around £10.5m.

The Belgium international, who has signed a three-year contract at Shandong, leaves Old Trafford after joining the club from Everton in 2013.

Fellaini split opinion among United supporters during his five-and-a-half years in Manchester but was popular with the managers he worked under, particularly Jose Mourinho.

The 31-year-old signed a new two-year contract at Old Trafford last summer after Mourinho convinced the United hierarchy that he was an important player to the club.

However, following Mourinho’s departure and the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager, Fellaini has opted to move to China.

The midfielder played just 31 minutes under Solskjaer and, though a calf injury limited his playing time of late, Fellaini would have remained little more than a back-up option had he stayed.

In a statement on their official website, United said: ”Manchester United can confirm that Marouane Fellaini has left the club on a permanent transfer.

“Everybody at United thanks Marouane for his service and wishes him well for the future as he completes his move to Shandong Luneng Taishan FC in China.”

Fellaini becomes the first senior player to depart since Mourinho’s dismissal as manager, following a transfer window which saw no first-team players signed at United.

The Belgian made a total of 177 appearances during his Old Trafford stay, scoring 22 times and winning FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League titles.