The midfielder, who signed a new contract with Manchester United last week, has been greatly valued by all his managers. A potent aerial weapon, not just at set-pieces, he unsettles even the best of defences.
He is a lot more than a simple 'Plan B', as his impressive display against England in the group stages from the start testified, but is always capable of producing the goods by way of making an instant impact. It takes very little time for Fellaini to alter the pattern of a game and make things happen.
When Roberto Martinez needed to do something to prevent his highly-fancied team crashing out of the tournament in Russia, Fellaini was an obvious option.