Sourced from Daily Mail article
Morgan Schneiderlin must dislodge Gareth Barry at Everton
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The fee is the same and so is the remit - replace an ageing pass master and make the team tick.
Morgan Schneiderlin was supposed to be the heir apparent to Michael Carrick at Manchester United when he joined from Southampton for £24million in the summer of 2015.
Eighteen months on and, with Carrick still ahead of him in the midfield pecking order at Old Trafford, it is to Everton where the Frenchman now heads. United even look set to recoup every penny of their failed investment.
Gareth Barry is the man Schneiderlin must now displace, a player, like Carrick, whose genius is found in the seemingly effortless manner of his effectiveness. In short, they can make the difficult look easy.
It might not be the flashiest detail on the park, but the anchorman who can keep the ball and dictate tempo is an invaluable asset to any team.
Carrick can, so can Barry. And so, too, can Schneiderlin. Except we didn’t see that at United.
Schneiderlin has played just 11 minutes of Premier League football under Jose Mourinho this season. The manager, clearly, has seen something he does not like.
But the 27-year-old, surely, has not become a bad player over the course of one summer. He started 25 times in the league for Louis van Gaal last term and, while his performances did not scale the heights expected of a £24m recruit, an improvement this season was perhaps anticipated given 12 months to settle in what can be intimidating surrounds.
It is at Goodison Park, however, where Schneiderlin must now show that to be the case.
And don’t forget, it was on the back of a season at Southampton under current Everton boss Ronald Koeman that United made their move.
If a manager is prepared to re-sign a player previously under their charge then you have to trust their judgement on character, and Schneiderlin is said to be a model pro born out of humble football beginnings. It is interesting to note also that former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino wanted to take Schneiderlin to Spurs before his switch to United.
At Everton he can rediscover the spark and hunger which made him one of the country’s most-coveted players less than two years ago - even the England national team were looking into his eligibility before his debut for France.
For Schneiderlin’s best years are undoubtedly still ahead of him. He was just 18 when he joined Southampton in a £1.2m move from Strasbourg. He made 260 appearances on the south coast and, along with the likes of Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, was the driving force behind their ascent from League One to the Premier League.
He may not be an overly vocal presence, but Schneiderlin is the type to lead by example, a player who seizes responsibility - and Everton certainly need that right now. Barry, at 35, is creaking, while Ross Barkley, at 23, is cracking under the weight of expectation.
There is a horrible inconsistency about Koeman’s side, just look at their form figures for the past 10 matches - DLDLWLWDWL.
And that is what Schneiderlin will provide - a steadying presence in the middle of the park. They need a consistent performer, someone they can depend on week in, week out. He also adds an element of class - Manchester United, after all, would not have signed him if they didn’t think he had the tools to replace Carrick.
It hasn’t worked out for him at Old Trafford but that can be to Everton’s gain. Schneiderlin should certainly be motivated given his treatment under Mourinho.
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