Manchester United currently have the best defensive midfielder in the world at the club, with Casemiro delivering outstanding performances on a weekly basis.
It hasn’t always been this way, with the role a troublesome one in the wake of Michael Carrick’s retirement.
One player Manchester United hoped could succeed Carrick was French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who joined the club under Louis van Gaal in 2015.
After a spell in France, he has now left European football to sign with a club in Australia.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loan deals for January 2023
Morgan Schneiderlin signs with new club
Manchester United signed Schneiderlin from Southampton for £25 million. He had impressed for the Saints, putting up high numbers for tackles and interceptions. However, this did not translate to success in Louis van Gaal’s system.
He made 47 appearances for United in two and a half seasons, ditched six months into Jose Mourinho’s reign as manager.
United impressively managed to get a £20 million fee for Schneiderlin from Everton. His spell there worked out poorly, and he signed for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Nice for just £2 million, The Mail reported.
Now after three seasons at Nice and 59 games, Schneiderlin has moved on loan to Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers.
The midfielder told their club website: “I am very excited to be here in Western Sydney with the Wanderers and I’m looking forward to starting my journey at the club.”
Schneiderlin is still only 33, just three years older than Casemiro. Sadly he did not become the player Manchester United hoped he would be.
The Frenchman was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final in 2016. In an interview in 2020 he blamed Louis van Gaal for his time at Old Trafford working out poorly.
He said to The Athletic: “We were told: ‘When you have the ball you have to do this’ instead of playing with my gut like I had done with Pochettino and Koeman.
“The worst thing for a football player is when you think too much. I started to think: ‘Ah, the manager wants me to do this’. You lose your instinct, you start to force things, you miss passes, you arrive too late for a challenge. Your confidence goes down.
“You had to wait until the manager told you that you could eat. These things work when the players are 19 and 20, but not when you have older players.
“Van Gaal had proved that he was a top manager, but I don’t think we needed those ideas at the time.”
Schneiderlin has had plenty of time since leaving United to show Manchester United misused him. He has failed to grasp the opportunities he has had.
Now he has a fresh start on the other side of the globe, where he could run into former United winger Nani, who plays for Melbourne Victory.
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