Morgan Schneiderlin remains as one of the big success stories for Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton. Signed by the South Coast team when they were in the Championship, the Frenchman stayed at the St Mary stadium even during difficult times that saw the club drop into the League One. Their promotion to the Premier League was mainly due to the presence of quality players like Schneiderlin and the club achieved a permanent place in the top division. Three consistent years of excellent performances saw the midfielder move to Manchester United for around £25 million in the summer of 2015.
However, few would have imagined Schneiderlin struggling to even start in EFL Cup matches but it is the current plight of the Frenchman. Jose Mourinho is reported to have actively blocked a move made by Spurs for the Frenchman in the summer. Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino knows Schneiderlin well from his short time at Southampton. Mourinho never disclosed the reasons for blocking Schneiderlin’s potential move to White Hart Lane, but it may have largely been down to Spurs’ position as a direct competitor for United and other title challengers.
As the January transfer window approaches, the Sun reports that the player is likely to be available once again. However, Spurs may not be interested in the 27-year-old anymore. After their failure to land Schneiderlin in the summer, Tottenham actively pursued other transfer targets and they now have a full complement of players like Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, and Eric Dier capable of playing as the defensive midfielder. There simply is not in the space for Schneiderlin even with the club’s involvement in the Champions League.
Furthermore, United are unlikely to sell Schneiderlin on a cheap. The player could cost upwards of £15 million at the very least. Spurs may not be interested in spending this amount of money on someone who is likely to make only around 20 appearances per season due to the heavy competition. Schneiderlin has struggled with niggling injuries as well, but this alone will not be the reason for appearing in just five minutes of league action.
Manchester United are struggling to find the perfect combination in the midfield. After starting out with Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini, Mourinho is now trying out Ander Herrera with Fellaini with inconsistent results. The likes of Michael Carrick and Schneiderlin remain far away from regular first-team appearances even in this situation, and not to mention World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger still training on his own.
Incredibly, if Spurs were to enter into the race for Schneiderlin, they may face competition from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal. Both clubs are looking to take advantage of Schneiderlin’s current plight and bring him for less than his market value.
