Man Utd Star Marouane Fellaini Talks Van Gaal and the Influence of His Parents

Marouane Fellaini is relaxed, happy and ready to talk. The Manchester United man is settled in his adopted hometown and feeling optimistic about the future.

Fellaini has been in the north west of England for seven years now—three spent living in Liverpool and the last four in Manchester. He tells me life is good, that unlike his former team-mate Angel Di Maria, he had no problem adapting to English ways. He's comfortable in Manchester, and going out in public is never a problem.

The easygoing adaptability of the big Belgian might be traced back to his parents, who emigrated from Morocco to raise their three sons—twins Marouane and Mansour (you might remember Jose Mourinho's mistake there) and their younger brother, Hamza.

It was in Belgium, as a young boy in a football-mad house, that Fellaini would take his first forays into the life that awaited him. "My dad used to take me and my brothers to the park to play football all the time," he told Bleacher Report. "I remember every moment."

Fellaini's father, Abdellatif, knows the game better than most. A former professional goalkeeper, he has been guiding his son's career from those first steps on the park to the Theatre of Dreams where he plays today. Nobody has had a greater influence on Fellaini than his parents.

"My mum and dad did everything for me," he says. "They supported me, gave me a lot of advice. That support is everything. It gives you the confidence you need.

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"My dad was an ex-player, so he knew what he was saying. When we talk about football, he knows what he's talking about. We can talk all evening."

With the support of his family and youth-team coaches along the way, Fellaini played his way into the youth setup at Anderlecht, and his development continued through the ranks at Mons, Royal Francs Borains (now Seraing United) and then Sporting Charleroi.

Fellaini had been involved with professional clubs since the age of eight, but it wasn't until much later he let himself truly entertain the dream he'd harboured all along.

"When I was about 16, I started to believe I could play professionally," he says. "I worked hard and focused more. You have to focus—you can't go out [and] can't see friends. You have to stay in because the next day you have training."

Fellaini speaks to the sacrifice all young players must make to advance. Underneath his laid-back exterior is a drive that has taken Fellaini to 65 caps with the Belgium national team and seven years playing in the intensity of the Premier League, first with Everton and now United.

The 27-year-old can be as volatile on the pitch as he is warm and welcoming off it. With Fellaini, there's texture. And then there's that famous hairstyle.

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"It was my idea," he says of the afro, refusing to credit the likes of Kevin Keegan, Carlos Valderrama or Rudi Voller for its inspiration. "At the moment, I won't change it. It will stay because I like it. But maybe in the future I will."

Fellaini doesn't say whether his manager approves. As we dig into Louis van Gaal's reign at Old Trafford, Fellaini maintains there is still fun to be had at United despite all the stories about a tough regime with too much training and not enough freedom for the players.

"We laugh a lot. That's normal—we're human," Fellaini says of his United team-mates. "But on the pitch, we are serious."

As for Fellaini's role in the Van Gaal master plan, it's still not quite clear. Used as a target-man striker against Liverpool, he's played a number of positions but has yet to hold one down as his own in the Dutchman's team. Does patience prevail?

"When the manager asks me to play somewhere, I play there," he says. "But my best position is midfield."

And there you have the Fellaini his reputation speaks to—a devoted team player who never shirks his responsibilities but is ready to fight his corner at every opportunity. You get the feeling Van Gaal has already had a knock or two on his door.

Whatever the need at United this season, Fellaini will be ready. The bigger question is United are equipped to earn their first piece of silverware with Fellaini—his first piece of silverware in England for that matter.

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"We have to win something because we're Manchester United," he says. "We're a massive club. We have to win."

Emphatic. And just what the fans and his manager needed to hear.

With time running out, talk turns to his legacy. I ask Fellaini how he'd liked to be remembered in 10 years—what he'd like to overhear one fan saying to another of the big midfielder with the big hair who once terrorised opponents and won every header going.

"I'd like them to say 'Fellaini is a good man'," he says.

It's a legacy he should have no trouble achieving.

Marouane Fellaini wears the new Baltic/Serene Green New Balance Visaro football boots, designed for players who "Make Chances." To find out more about New Balance Football go to newbalance.com/football or follow @NBFootball on Twitter and Instagram. All quotes were gathered firsthand.