Moving Target – Morgan Schneiderlin

On the same day that Manchester United announced the signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin was also confirmed as a Red Devil. After completing a deal for the combative Frenchman, Louis van Gaal explained the reasons behind his latest acquisition:

“Morgan is a player from the Premier League so he can cope with the Premier League. Our selection was not in balance and I have already mentioned that I want to make the balance with midfielders, so you could expect that I shall buy two holding midfielders. And Morgan Schneiderlin is the type that I think can play in our system and in our philosophy. Manchester United only buy players who can make a contribution for that. We are not buying just for buying.”

The History

Schneiderlin worked his way up the youth ranks at RC Strasbourg, penning his first professional contract in 2005. The French international managed just five appearances with the Alsace club, before being sold to Southampton in the summer of 2008 following Strasbourg’s relegation to the second tier of French football.

The combative midfielder found himself in and out of the line-up during his debut campaign with the Saints, producing zero attacking returns across 23 starts. In the wake of Southampton’s relegation to League One, he cemented a regular berth in the 2009/10 season, serving up one goal and two assists in 37 appearances.

Following the south coast outfit’s promotion back to the Championship for the 2011/12 campaign, Schneiderlin featured in all but four of their league ties, tallying two goals and three assist in 29 starts. A second-place finish gained the Saints entry into the top flight, where the he continued to flourish; having notched five goals and one assist in 36 outings, Schneiderlin was honoured as the Player’s Player and Fans Player of the Year.

In his previous two campaigns at St Mary’s Stadium, he chalked up six goals and three assists over 59 appearances, with ligament injury and a torn abductor muscle restricting him to 24 starts in the 2014/15 season.

Schneiderlin made his debut for France’s senior squad on June 8, 2014 in an 8-0 friendly win against Jamaica. Less than three weeks later, Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps started him in a World Cup group clash against Ecuador. In all, Schneiderlin has earned nine caps on the international stage but is yet to score.

The Prospects

Schneiderlin’s arrival at Old Trafford – allied with the recruitment of Bastian Schweinsteiger – has furnished Van Gaal with a wealth of excellent midfield options. Factor in the impressive late-season form of Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera, and there is a myriad of viable set-ups that could exploit the Red Devils’ new-found strength.

With Van Gaal likely to operate with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, Schneiderlin can be expected to sit in front of the back-four as Van Gaal attempts to bring a better balance to a side that managed just 11 clean sheets in the previous campaign – just one more than relegated pair Hull and Burnley.

In terms of his individual Fantasy worth, Schneiderlin hardly set the world alight with four goals and one assist in 2,186 minutes for Saints last term, yet his 5.5 price tag in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game could entice some investors who are reluctant to invest heavily in United’s premium options.

Surprisingly, Schneiderlin fashioned shots (one per 76.7 minutes) at a similar rate to Mata (73.2 minutes) last year and has wasted no time in settling into his new surrounds, having scored on his United debut last week. In terms of creativity, it’s clear he is no deep-lying playmaker in the mould of Cesc Fabregas – the Frenchman provided just 20 key passes in 26 appearances in 2014/15, though his minutes per key pass (115) was still far quicker than Carrick’s 191.1, for example.

One look at the stats highlights what the new boy will mainly bring to Old Trafford. In his three seasons in the Premier League, Schneiderlin’s ball-winning ability was fundamental to the Saints’ style of play. In 2012/13, where he missed just two matches, he was first amongst Premier League midfielders for attempted tackles (182), successful tackles (108) and interceptions (139), whilst he sat third for successful tackles in each of the last two campaigns (2013/14, with 87 and 2014/15, with 79) despite his pitch time being somewhat restricted due to injury.

It may well be, then, that his determined displays in the centre of the park will boost United’s defensive prospects more than anything else. Given that no Red Devils defender made 30 or more appearances last year, though, many Fantasy managers will be wary of investing in Van Gaal’s backline from the off unless the remaining pre-season line-ups suggest greater consistency of selection.

In terms of fixtures, the opening schedule could certainly be a lot kinder for Van Gaal’s troops, though. United play six of last year’s top eight in the first ten Gameweeks, suggesting that Schneiderlin’s defensive duties will be key in the first couple of months. The Frenchman may well struggle to earn our attention if, as expected, he’s mainly employed to break up opposition attacks and provide the platform for Mata, Depay and Wayne Rooney to wreak havoc further up the field.

Further Reference

Morgan Schneiderlin Wikipedia Page

Morgan Schneiderlin Transfer Markt Page

Morgan Schneiderlin YouTube Highlights