Former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has announced his retirement from football.

Fellaini has been a free agent after ending his contract with Chinese club Shandong Taishan three months ago and has been in the game for the last 18 years.

Taking to Instagram to make the announcement, he said: “I am writing this post to announce that after a career of 18 years, I am retiring from professional football. What an incredible journey it has been! I am so grateful to have played the sport I love at the highest level.

“I am proud to have represented Standard in Belgium, Everton and Manchester United in the UK, and Shandong Taishan in China. I have played in front of the best fans in the world, and I want to take this moment to thank all of them for their unwavering support throughout my career.

“As I embark on this new chapter in my life, I look forward to new challenges, but be assured, I will continue to support the beautiful game in any way I can.”

The midfielder made his professional debut for Standard Liege in 2006 before moving two years later to Everton. He then followed David Moyes to United when the former Everton boss took charge at Old Trafford in 2013.

He won the 2016 FA Cup and Europa League and League Cup – both in 2017 – during his time with United, which included 177 appearances and 22 goals. In 2019, Fellaini signed for Shandong Taishan in China, but did not extend his contract last November. His last match was the Chinese Cup final which Shandong lost to Shanghai Shenhua.

Fellaini won 87 caps for Belgium, scoring 18 goals, and helping them finish third at the 2018 World Cup.

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