"The midfield players had an unbelievable complement for each other," Jose Mourinho cooed. The Manchester United manager guided parsimonious Porto to Champions League glory 12 years ago but transforming Marouane Fellaini into Xavi might be a miracle to rival Jesus turning water into wine.

Fellaini played 76 passes at Bournemouth and only one failed to find a teammate. It was a startlingly controlled performance from a player who has struggled for control throughout his eight years in English football, often introducing opponents to his elbows and studs. Marouane the metronome is unlikely to catch on but, even against obliging opponents, Fellaini dispelled the myth he was a clumsy carthorse.

Seven days earlier, the Belgian was booed for gifting Jamie Vardy an equaliser at Wembley. Even as the United players disembarked from the coach at Bournemouth, boos greeted Fellaini's arrival. Few players have endured sarcastic cheers and booing from United fans over three years and overcome them but Fellaini has justified his status as a United player.

Fellaini's performance is a timely topic as United supporters ponder what Mourinho's midfield will look like. There are five - maybe six - options and his selection at the Vitality was as unpredictable as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's tombola choices. Herrera and Fellaini had never started as a midfield partnership before and Mourinho contradicted his preference for 'specialists' by not supplementing them with a holding midfielder.

Herrera and Fellaini thrived in Louis van Gaal's midfield triangle two seasons ago with Michael Carrick at the base, yet the 35-year-old was demoted following his ponderous performance against Leicester's live wires. Just as much of a surprise as Fellaini's prudent passing was Herrera's conversion to a deep-lying midfielder. He played there with disdain under Van Gaal yet it appeared he was free of the shackles on his 27th birthday on Sunday.

The Basque attempted more passes than anyone on the pitch, with Fellaini in second. Herrera was helped during the transition by a stand-offish Bournemouth but he adapted impressively for a forward-thinking footballer who would rather spend more time in the attacking third. Even after one game, Herrera and Fellaini bear resemblance to the Cesc Fabregas-Nemanja Matic axis that helped Chelsea to the 2015 title.

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Their partnership is unlikely to last, though. Even omitting the Paul Pogba factor, there were recurring issues with United's midfield and attack. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, just like he did during the Community Shield, endured such lengthy inactive periods he dropped deep in a bid to improve United's ball retention, signalling Wayne Rooney's deficiencies in the hole. Rooney's knack for poaching a goal to mask his overall performance continued, as the emperor briefly clothed himself in the south coast sunshine, yet Ibrahimovic's strike also came from the area Rooney is supposed to dominate.

Just as peculiar as the midfield pairing was Mourinho's forward selection. Looking at the front six and watching that first-half, it seemed Van Gaal was still in charge, with United reliant on Anthony Martial's speed in an attack largely devoid of pace and lacking a midfield 'runner'. Herrera was described as a 'passer' last week and Fellaini converted to that status as he passed precisely.

United supporters still rightly expected them to beat a side fielding a striker who made two substitute appearances for The Reds over three seasons and Ibrahimovic's, Rooney's and Juan Mata's goals were admirably clinical. However, the system and certain personnel seem unsustainable, with the immobile Rooney detached from the midfielders and United's languorous play liable to continue without speed even after the ring-rustiness is shed.

The absence of Jesse Lingard was rued by numerous supporters for perhaps the first time in his United career ahead of kick-off. Lingard proved with the manner of his Community Shield opener he could be United's second midfield runner to Pogba - his recent muscle mass gain appears to have bolstered his speed and that athleticism effortlessly overcame Leicester's artisans. United have lacked a midfield tearaway since - don't laugh - Anderson.

Herrera is prone to positional indiscipline and his sneakily snide fouls might eventually result in a different colour card to yellow if he continues to patrol the midfield. Fellaini will also encounter more aggressive midfields, although he coped commendably against Leicester's tireless tacklers before and after his assist for Vardy.

And at least Mourinho showed some adventure. Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin are both occasionally guilty of inertia and began last season beside each other as Van Gaal stultified supporters. Both were benched at Bournemouth as Mourinho took what, for his predecessor, would be deemed a risk.

It was a risk worth taking.