08/08/2017 21:56, Report by Adam Marshall in Skopje

When the dust settles on Manchester United's UEFA Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid, it is unlikely too much will be made of Marouane Fellaini's impact on proceedings at the Philip II Stadium in Macedonia.

There were some outstanding individual displays - Real's Isco and Gareth Bale among them, and had the latter's shot been a couple of inches lower and not crashed against the bar, Jose Mourinho's men would have been 3-0 down and facing a long night in Macedonia.

For the Reds, new signing Nemanja Matic looked perfectly at home in such exalted company and made a mockery of his apparent lack of match sharpness. Yet, when United were staring down the barrel of defeat, Fellaini was the man who helped change the complexion of the game and brought others into play, after replacing Ander Herrera.

Romelu Lukaku, who spurned one great chance before pulling a goal back to set up a decent end to the contest for United, looked a bigger threat with his compatriot Fellaini alongside him. In tandem, the two Belgians gave Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane something else to think about.

Fellaini, excellent in last season's Europa League campaign, helped set up Lukaku's strike with his endeavour, scrapping for a loose ball and doing what he does best. He never gives anything up and tried bravely to meet a Matic cross, he collided heads with Ramos.

It was a painful blow and it took some time to patch up the injured United player, a key reason why there were seven minutes of stoppage time. Once he was on his feet again and allowed to return to the fray, he raced onto the pitch and started causing problems again. One of his famous chest traps was followed by an aerial flick.

Fellaini also forced a shaky-looking Keylor Navas into a decent save with a header following some marvellous work by the indefatigable Antonio Valencia as the Reds tried valiantly to force extra time.

It was not to be on the night and Fellaini slumped to the deck on the final whistle, stretching out his long limbs and looking exhausted. It was some shift he had put in, considering the draining conditions in hot and humid Macedonia.

When he prepared to come onto the field, some Real fans derided Mourinho's decision to turn to the former Everton man but the sneering was misplaced. When talk emerged recently of interest in his services from Turkey, some fans on social media made it clear they would not be adverse to a transfer. Yet Mourinho knows the value of his no.27 and even said Galatasaray had more chance of signing him as their new manager. The loyal fans here in Skopje also know the big midfielder's merits and chanted his name in recognition of his efforts.

Marouane Fellaini may not be as glamorous as some players but he can upset any defence in the world and is a great team player. His efforts did not go unnoticed tonight.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.