Manchester United Transfer News: Marouane Fellaini the Foundation of New Red Era

Upon David Moyes' unveiling as Manchester United's successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, Marouane Fellaini unsurprisingly became one of the big names automatically rumoured to be on his way to Old Trafford.

Physical yet versatile and every bit the strong central presence United have been in need of for some time, it was far from shocking to hear the Belgian might link back up with the Scottish manager.

As was revealed by the Red Devils' official website on transfer deadline day, after months of agonising speculation, Fellaini finally completed his move to Old Trafford.

The club's official Twitter account also revealed that the playmaker will wear the No. 31 shirt in his new surroundings:

There were some missing pieces around the move, granted, such as why the Premier League champions allowed the midfielder to run past his £23 million release clause, which expired at the end of July, as was discussed by The Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

Instead, United were forced to shed Everton's full £27.5 million valuation of the player. While not a massive leap in price, one can only suppose Moyes had other targets in mind but was ultimately forced into going back for his former charge.

Having said that, £4 million extra or not, Manchester United supporters should be overjoyed that their side has finally landed the player perhaps not everyone wanted, but who for all purposes was needed.

For a number of seasons now, a heady selection of central stars have all tried their hand at providing the engine-room presence the club has been crying out for, but to not much avail.

Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Phil Jones and Park Ji-Sung have all had their attempts at plugging a gap that, in all honesty, hasn’t seemed as well looked after since a fully fit Darren Fletcher was present.

Of course, the club has managed to overcome such a weakness by being simply magnificent in other parts of the pitch, namely attack. However, the mark of a great team should always be self-improvement and the next way to get better.

While he might be the only big move of Moyes' first transfer window in charge at Manchester United, Fellaini's acquisition is a signing that Ferguson couldn't manage in his waning days at Old Trafford.

With the 25-year-old providing a reliable platform in the centre of midfield, the likes of Carrick, Rooney and maybe even now Shinji Kagawa can start to reap the rewards, not having to overcompensate in other areas.

With just that one signing, Moyes automatically liberates others in his squad and allows them to do better within their own realms as a result, and that's why Fellaini's move will in time prove to be a masterstroke, regardless of how one looks at his value.