Manchester United are expected to be one of the most active clubs in this summer's transfer window, having already wrapped up Memphis Depay.
And in the last few weeks, another one of the names which has popped up most is Morgan Schneiderlin, with French channel Canal Plus the first ones to suggest the Southampton midfielder was close to a move to United.
It would make sense, given that at the end of the season, Louis Van Gaal hinted that he would be in the market for a right-footed holding midfielder. He suggested that he would like to increase his selection options, as the Red Devils suffered in the absence of current defensive midfielder Michael Carrick.
In Van Gaal’s formation, the holding midfielder plays an important role. United had an impressive win rate of 72.2% when Carrick played in the midfield, while suffered with a low win rate of 42.3% without the English midfielder, suggesting how often their defence can be exposed without a defensive midfielder in place.
But Carrick, at 33, is not getting any younger and is in his twilight years, so United need to find a replacement for him. Morgan Schneiderlin, therefore, would be the perfect fit for the job.
Schneiderlin's credentials
The French international joined Southampton in 2008 and has made the journey from being a regular substitute to one of the first names on the teamsheet. Schneiderlin has come a long way and he has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League over the past two seasons.
In Van Gaal’s system, the Southampton man could play as a number six and if needed, could also play as the typical number eight, due to his multiple talents. After all, the impressive form of the Saints is significantly helped by Schneiderlin's efforts. He has led their midfield perfectly with a balance in both attacking and defensive aspects.
Ronald Koeman's men have enjoyed a decent win rate of 53.8% when the Frenchman has played whilst they suffered a slump in the final few games of season, as Schneiderlin missed out due to a minor injury. Due in part to his influential performances, the south coast side were able to clinch an impressive seventh position finish in league.
More than meets the eye
Van Gaal saw the best of Schneiderlin first-hand, when he destroyed United at Old Trafford last season. He was all over the pitch and marshalled his team very well to break the opponents which eventually led to Southampton’s first win at Old Trafford.
That was not his only impressive cameo, mind. In an attacking aspect, Schneiderlin has impressed in the league throughout his years in the top-flight. Though he played a bit advanced role as Victor Wanyama sat more deep among the two holding midfielders, his goal tally is still impressive.
The France international has chipped in with four goals and created 20 chances compared to Carrick’s eight. Van Gaal’s philosophy revolves around possesion and moving the ball in the midfield swiftly and Schneiderlin’s qualities of retaining the ball well and passing it to his teammates, as he had 89% passing accuracy, means he would be a good fit.
The Frenchman also boasts an impressive shot accuracy of 43% and so surely, he represents a good upgrade to Carrick in terms of contributing going forward.
A pivotal cog in the Southampton machine
For Southampton, last year Dejan Lovren and this year Jose Fonte have and were two of the best defenders in the league. There is no doubt regarding the abilities of the two defenders but both were successful as they had a strong personality in form the of Schneiderlin shielding them. The midfielder plays a crucial role in getting the team in proper defensive shape while defending.
With his robust physique, Schneiderlin is able to dismantle the opponent with crunching tackles. He averages four defensive actions per match, which is actually the same average as Carrick last season.
Carrick generally knicks the ball from the opponents rather than throwing his body at them, while Schneiderlin fears nothing while tackling. This is something which United have missed since Roy Keane.
Schneiderlin also shows commendable pace while tracking back, something which Carrick - at 33-years-old - lacks. This means that not only in attacking, but maybe even in defending, that Schneiderlin would be a better option than Carrick.
The perfect replacement
Schneiderlin has a very good habit of performing well in big games, similarly to Carrick. He has been constantly performing well against the Premier League giants for a number of years, and this would be yet another thing which would impress Van Gaal, who is said to be known as the man for big moments.
Schneiderlin would surely not be the exact same player as Carrick, but he is one worth buying - as the stats suggest. At the age of 25, he is ready to take a step up in his career and United would be a perfect platform for him to do so. With a good amount of Premier League experience,he would surely bring some steel to this United midfield.
Last year he expressed his disappointment at the fact that he was not granted his big move away from Southampton, and this year he has expressed his desire to move to a club which provide him Champions League football. United surely ticks all the boxes.