Marouane Fellaini set to become first Man United player to leave under Solskjaer

One of Jose Mourinho's favourite sons is being pointed firmly in the direction of the exit at Old Trafford

So this is how it ends Marouane, not with a bang, but a whimper. The lumbering Belgian midfielder only signed a new two-year contract last summer, but it appears that after all those lethargic 60th-minute touchline stretches, before, of course, coming on to shin home a sweaty 85th-minute equaliser against mid-table opposition, his time has finally come. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man responsible for Manchester United's recent upturn in form, and enthusiasm, and general sense of joy, is happy to let Fellaini leave the club in January should the club receive a suitable offer. Suitable here translates to 15 million of the Queen's English pounds, which may seem a tad oxymoronic. Rest assured it is. Were Besiktas, those frequent nabbers of exclusively high-wage, slightly past it Premier League footballers not in significant financial trouble, one suspects that he'd already be booked onto a flight direct to Istanbul. Fellaini has only made two substitute appearances under his new Norwegian manager, equating to just 31 minutes of first-team action. Perhaps even more telling is the fact that he was left out entirely of the 18-man squad for Solskjaer's most impressive result to date: Sunday's 1-0 victory against Spurs at Wembley. European giants AC Milan and Porto are rumoured to be sniffing around in Fellaini's general direction and liking what they smell. Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande are also ready to risk it all for the towering afro-headed nuisance. If he does end up leaving the Premier League this transfer window after 11 and a half seasons, 37 goals, £42.5 million in transfer fees and an almost impossible amount of flailed elbows, he will almost certainly be missed. Mostly by the football banter twitter accounts, but still. The heart wants what it wants, and misses what it misses, even if it is a gangly, plodding, essentially position-less variant of a footballer.