When you demand that both your centermids either sit or come back BEHIND the centerhalves to receive and play the ball, and get no more forward than that, then there isn't much room for a player as dynamic and capable of creating as he is. I'm a bit worried because Mourinho can be equally boring in his defensive approach, but, as a foil to Pogba and playing behind Martial/Rooney/Ibra/Mkhytarian, I've got high hopes for him if they let him move further forward to provide the square link from the wings and play a part in buildups. It was clear that he was one of the many players that was really jaded by LVG's "philosophy" by the end of the year. Also, he was a purchase that was lined up, along with the likes of Darmian and Herrera, without LVG's input (it seems). From what I can tell, in hindsight, the club's scouting network have been after him and those other players for a while, since Moyes times and maybe before, and LVG just sort of said "okay, yeah, I can work with anyone in my 'system'". He didn't fit that boring approach. Carrick, Herrera, Fellaini fell in line, he didn't and stopped getting tick at the end of the season for it.