It has taken Marouane Fellaini a lot longer than he would have probably expected to win over the Manchester United fans.

David Moyes' first signing at Old Trafford in 2013 has been the frequent subject of criticism from the club's own supporters over the last few years.

Only last December, the Belgian was booed when he came on during a match against Tottenham.

Since then, however, he has knuckled down and with the support of Jose Mourinho, is gradually changing his perception from villain to hero (maybe).

In a recent interview with Belgian magazine Sport, though, Fellaini has bizarrely hit back at criticism he received from Jamie Carragher almost 12 months ago.

The 29-year-old was banned for three matches after appearing to elbow Robert Huth in a game against Leicester last May.

As a result, Carragher scrutinised Fellaini's style of play and track record in a column for the Daily Mail.

"Three games is not a sentence that will prove a deterrent to Fellaini. He is a repeat offender and it has gone beyond the point now where people can attempt to defend him by saying he is a tall lad who is using his arms for leverage," he wrote.

"Yet should we be surprised it was Fellaini again? No. He argued back in March that he 'doesn't want to elbow someone and only defend myself' but that simply doesn't hold any credibility because he has been involved in too many incidents.

"The figures are damning. He has been booked 61 times in all competitions since coming to England and picked up a further three red cards.

"I hated playing against Fellaini. You knew from the word go you had to keep your wits because of his aggression. In one Merseyside derby, TV cameras showed me telling the referee to 'watch Fellaini's elbows' — he always featured in our team talks because he was so awkward."

Carragher even went to the extent of saying he didn't want to see the Man United midfielder play in the Premier League ever again and until now, Fellaini has kept quiet about the former Liverpool legend's comments.

But the ex-Everton star has hit back by attacking the tough-tackling style of Carragher's own game and even took aim at his YouTube highlights.

"If I am violent and aggressive, what was Carragher?" Fellaini responded, as per The Metro.

"He is the champion of blah-blah and the world champion of breaking legs. If you type his name into YouTube you’ll only see him tackling."

Well, he certainly didn't hold back, did he?

It's a shame Fellaini doesn't conduct interviews more regularly if he produces gold like that!

Despite not always being Mourinho's first choice this season, Fellaini has still made over 30 appearances and has scored in both the EFL Cup - which Man United won - and the FA Cup.

And after signing a one-year contract extension to stay at Old Trafford until 2018, Carragher will have to put up with seeing Fellaini in the Premier League for a little longer yet.