Marouane Fellaini has insisted that he stayed at Manchester United last summer only because of Jose Mourinho.

Fellaini came close to leaving the Red Devils on a free transfer last year before he decided to sign a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford.  

 



The Belgian eventually left the club earlier this year and joined Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng, with Manchester United pocketing a €7m fee from his departure.

Mourinho’s dismissal in December saw repeated talk that Fellaini could leave and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sanctioned his departure.
 


The Belgian revealed that he had a chance to join AC Milan last year, but he rebuffed an approach and decided to stay at Manchester United only because Mourinho wanted him there.



Fellaini remains a huge fan of his former manager and believes he was a tough but a generous human being.

“A year ago this there was this opportunity, my agent spoke to Milan”, the midfielder told Gazzetta dello Sport’s weekly magazine Sportweek.
 

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“But I knew Mourinho very well, I felt good with him and he wanted me to stay at United.

“So it was easy to choose to stay a few more months.”

He added: “Mourinho for me is a great man and I still feel for him.

“I like his personality, he is tough but generous and in football it is normal to have highs and lows between coaches and players.”

Mourinho has been looking for a new job since leaving Manchester United and has been linked with a move to China, Fellaini's new home.