How is ex-Southampton star Morgan Schneiderlin getting on? | OneFootball

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Southampton's latest Championship season is well underway, with the Saints embarking on their first season at second tier level in over a decade.

A host of changes have been made behind the scenes for Russell Martin's side, as naturally occurs following a relegation to the second tier. The 37-year-old is being tasked with returning Southampton to Premier League football at the first time of asking.

The last time Southampton played in English football's second tier, they came second in the league under the stewardship of Nigel Adkins, which marked back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

All of the players that gained those two promotions have since moved on, from the likes of Rickie Lambert to Adam Lallana.

One player who was a vital player under Adkins and more at St. Mary's for many years, was Morgan Schneiderlin.

The 33-year-old is a former France international with 15 caps for his country, and no goals to his name. All of those appearances came from 2014 to 2015.

He was signed by Southampton in 2008 from French side Strasbourg, initially on a four-year contract for the side, who were a Championship club at the time.

Schneiderlin was a regular, but the Saints were relegated to the third tier, where he was then established as a key player in League One for two seasons.

Barring the odd injury, he was virtually ever-present during his seven-year spell with the side, and remained a vital part from the journey through the leagues all the way up to the top-flight.

The holding midfielder was a physically imposing player, also capable of playing out from deeper areas, and ended his Southampton career with 261 appearances, scoring 15 times and assisting a further 11 times.

He has played more games for the club than any other, by quite some margin. Schneiderlin's strong performances on the south coast earnt him a move to English football giants Manchester United in July 2015 for a fee in the region of £25 million.

A mixture of injuries and inconsistent form saw his time at Old Trafford come to an end after a year-and-a-half. Schneiderlin scored one goal from 47 games, but the majority of those came in the first season (39).

On 12 January 2017, Schneiderlin signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton, re-uniting with his former manager, Ronald Koeman.

The initial transfer payment was around £20 million, meaning Manchester United did not make a significant loss on him in the end.

Schneiderlin's transfer to Everton represented a real turnaround of fortunes for the player, becoming a more established starter in the defensive-midfield role at Goodison Park.

Schneiderlin then signed for OGC Nice for an undisclosed fee in June 2020, where he would play two seasons in his native country.

He played 59 games in two years but was eventually cast off, signing for Western Sydney Wanderers in the most recent January transfer window. He made only 12 appearances in his half-season loan, and would eventually return to Nice, where he was released this summer.

Interestingly, he signed for Turkish club Konyaspor in August, penning a two-year deal. However, ten days after signing, Schneiderlin’s contract was terminated by mutual agreement, due to family reasons. He is still currently a free agent.

The Frenchman made 88 appearances, scoring once in four years.