Source: PA
Moyes rubbishes Fellaini claim
Everton manager David Moyes has defended his decision to play Marouane Fellaini against Sunderland last week following criticism from the player's father.
Abdellatif Fellaini hit out at the Merseyside club after his son was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury which requires surgery.
The 23-year-old Belgium international picked up the injury at Chelsea a fortnight ago and Fellaini senior believes he should have been rested for the visit of the Wearsiders last Saturday. Fellaini aggravated the problem in a challenge with Sunderland's Stephane Sessegnon and was substituted after 42 minutes. It is the second successive year Fellaini has had his season ended prematurely by a serious ankle injury.
"Marouane is really in a desperate state," Abdellatif Fellaini said in Gazet van Antwerpen. "He should never have played that last game against Sunderland. He should never have been allowed to play because he was already injured."
Moyes has rejected any suggestion Everton would risk a player's wellbeing. The Scot said: "That's completely wrong. We would never do that, it's a load of rubbish.
"We had to hold the boy back from training on the Tuesday and Thursday and he trained Friday. His dad's maybe upset because the boy is going to have another operation on Monday. Who would do that? We wouldn't - of course we wouldn't. We certainly wouldn't risk Marouane Fellaini, who has arguably been our best player this season."
