Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has agreed a deal with Manchester United having been linked with the club for some time, according to reports from L’Equipe.
Schneiderlin on way to United
Schneiderlin is looking like he will be making his way to Manchester United this summer and the fee might be in the region of Southampton’s asking price of £25 million. The Frenchman has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs ranging from Arsenal to Tottenham.
The 25-year-old was pivotal in his performances for the Saints last season as his statistics show. The player played a total of 26 games in the Premier League, which is equal to the main choices from Old Trafford. He scored four goals from 23 shots and crossed the ball 30 times. None of the Manchester United centre-midfielders crossed the ball as much as the Frenchman and only Ander Herrera took more shots and scored more goals.
Pivotal midfielder could be announced in days
The advantage United will be gaining by signing Schneiderlin would be that he is a very versatile midfielder. He produced more tackles and has better defensive play than Daley Blind, Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera.
He should be able to fit into the midfield as he played in the same style that United adopted last season due to the introduction of Louis Van Gaal. He passed the ball more times than any of the Manchester United players that play in similar positions and he is known to have enough strength to keep hold of the ball when he is needed to.
Morgan Schneiderlin's statistics compared to Manchester United's midfielders from the 2014/15 season. (Picture: Sky Sports)
Southampton have been pushing this transfer through due to them wanting to make signings of their own. The Premier League club know that they will be losing the services of the Frenchman and they want rid so that they can pursue their first-choice replacements.
If the deal does go through, Southampton will be after players with a similar play style and who will be able to fill the hole that Schneiderlin will leave. It seems the club has two players in mind to be his successor and they will need to act quick if they want to sign them.
Feyenoord’s Jordy Clasie and Anderlecht’s Dennis Praet are the two players who play with a similar style to the leaving midfielder but both of these players have attracted attention. Praet is the main target for Russian team Zenit St. Petersburg as the 21-year-old has a lot of potential and has enough skill to play in the best leagues in the world even though he has not reached his full potential.
Clasie is being chased by many Premier League sides according to paper reports but no official moves have been made yet for the Dutch midfielder.