Wayne Rooney has praised Marouane Fellaini for the way he has turned his fortunes at Manchester United around by going from scapegoat to fans' favourite.
Captain Rooney admitted midfielder Fellaini had a dreadful debut year at Old Trafford following his £27.5 million move from Everton in 2013.
But the Belgium international has become a key player this campaign, with manager Louis van Gaal admitting it is impossible to drop him, and scored United's second goal in their 4-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday, when he was given a standing ovation after he was substituted.
Fellaini was deployed as a defensive midfielder by former manager David Moyes, but Van Gaal has given him a role further up the field -- and Rooney feels he is finally being picked in his proper position.
"He is getting used in the right way," the England captain said. "He is a handful for defenders to mark. We like to play out from the back and if teams are pressing us then we have him as an option.
"He is probably the best in world football at bringing the ball down and getting us out of that pressure and further up the pitch. He is being used in the right way by the manager and he is repaying the manager with goals and good performances."
Fellaini failed to score a goal in his first season at Old Trafford but Rooney feels he was singled out for criticism in a season when many others underperformed.
"Last year was awful for him but he kept his head down worked hard and came through that tough period," he added.
"He is showing now what he did at Everton and why Manchester United bought him. He is a quality player. He is a different option for us. It is starting to show on the pitch.
"It was tough for him but he had the whole team's support. We knew he was working hard and it wasn't just him struggling last season; a lot of us were. He was the one who took most of the blame for it. It was hard for him. Thankfully the manager has shown faith in him.
"He is big and he is strong and always a goal threat which he is showing now. He is awkward to mark. It is great for him and we hope it continues."
Three of United's midfield five -- Ashley Young, Fellaini and Juan Mata -- scored in their derby triumph and Rooney felt they were pivotal in exploiting City's weaknesses.
"We have got players who can score goals from midfield and to be honest we felt that was going to win us the game and it was proved to be," he explained.
"We know some City players are not the best at tracking back and defending and tracking runners and we felt we could make them pay for that and we did do."
United have won their last six league games and, while their performances earlier in the season were underwhelming, Rooney feels their hard work is paying off now.
"We said earlier on in the season that we were working on things and it was going to take time," he said. "It is starting to show now the training we have been putting in. We have been working really hard.
"Each game is different and we have been training for each game in a different way depending on how the opposition plays. There is no detail left unturned. We have been prepared really well."