Fellaini Praised By Mourinho After Return

Marouane Fellaini earned special praise from Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho after making his return from injury as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool.

The Belgium international worked hard to ensure his side maintained the lead despite intense pressure from the visitors, and he should be a great option for the upcoming matches against Sevilla on Tuesday, in the Champions League, and the weekend Emirates FA Cup quarter-final with Brighton & Hove Albion.

"I want to praise every player but Marouane Fellaini had to go to knee surgery," said Mourinho at his post-match press conference.

"To return ahead of time, he did fantastic work to recover outside the club with the people who have his trust.

"He arrived to train a couple of days ago and made himself available. And before the game, I had to ask him how many minutes he could play - 10, 15 or 20 max?"

Fellaini in fact played for almost half an hour, including six minutes of injury time, after replacing goalscorer Marcus Rashford in the 69th minute. Meanwhile, his fellow Belgian in the United side, Romelu Lukaku, was also earning plaudits for his display in attack against the Merseysiders.

"In every press conference I come to, I say the same about Lukaku," said Mourinho.

"His performance was fantastic. He didn't score but, for me, he's been fundamental. Even in the last part of the game, there were a few corners [to defend] in the six minutes of injury time and Lukaku was there and he was dominant."