Martinez reckons Fellaini ‘just missed out’ on Ballon d'Or nomination

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Bengaluru, November 3: Belgium head coach and former Everton manager Roberto Martinez has claimed that Marouane Fellaini just missed out on the Ballon d’Or nomination of this year by a whisker.

Fellaini joined Manchester United from Premier League rivals Everton for £27.5million in 2013 under then manager David Moyes, but has been a disruptive figure often. However, since the last season under Jose Mourinho, the midfielder has turned into a key player in the United's team.

And while talking about the nomination of his team's players in the recently concluded Ballon d’Or ceremony where Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens were the three Belgium internationals nominated, Martinez stated Fellaini and Thibaut Courtois too deserved to be among the nominations and were unfortunate to miss out.

“And two or three players who maybe just about missed out on a nomination, like Thibaut Courtois and Marouane Fellaini,” he told French magazine So Foot.

Fellaini has had a fine start to his United career under Mourinho and was rewarded for his superb performance after he replaced the injured Paul Pogba in the starting XI ahead of Herrera and Carrick however, he picked up an injury during the international break.

The midfielder's return date is still unclear, however according to reports, the 29-year-old will return to action after the next international break.

Fellaini has already scored four times in all competitions this season, thrice in Premier League and one in Champions League against FC Basel in seven matches.