Schneiderlin's Journey

The rise of Morgan Schneiderlin has been both meteoric and impressive since he moved from his native France to join Southampton in 2008.

The Frenchman was spotted by the Saints after moving up through the ranks at his local club, RC Strasbourg, where he had made five first-team appearances before making the switch across the Channel.

At just 18, the midfielder was already showing maturity beyond his years. Fans in England got a first glimpse of Schneiderlin during his time with France's Under-18s, after he featured in a friendly at Hartlepool's Victoria Park ground in September 2006. He had also been capped at Under-16 and Under-17 level, and would later go on to play for the Under-19s too.

Schneiderlin made his Southampton debut against Cardiff City in August 2008, but his first season at St Mary's would end in disappointment, as the club was relegated to League One.

Despite speculation that a drop to the third tier would force him away from the club, Schneiderlin opted to aid the promotion effort. He scored his first goal for the club in April 2010, as the Saints beat Bristol Rovers 5-1 away, in one of his 37 appearances during the 2009/10 campaign.

Now established as a regular in the Southampton side, Schneiderlin helped the club climb out of League One at the end of 2010/11 and the Frenchman really came to the fore in the subsequent Championship campaign of 2011/12. A superb season for the midfielder resulted in a second successive promotion for the Saints, this time to the Barclays Premier League.

Schneiderlin now had the chance to test himself in the top flight, and he soon went from strength to strength. Although he had previously scored for Southampton away from home, his first goal at St Mary's came in August 2012 - against United. The Reds had the last laugh in a memorable encounter, with Robin van Persie's hat-trick securing a hard-earned 3-2 win.

Schneiderlin went on to miss just two league games as Southampton finished in 14th place, and was widely praised after topping the statistics charts for interceptions and tackles during the 2012/13 campaign. Little wonder he was named Player of the Year by Southampton's fans and by his teammates.

In the following season, 2013/14, Schneiderlin made 36 appearances as his club finished ninth and then earned his first senior cap for France when head coach Didier Deschamps selected him for a goalless draw against Jamaica in June. In the ensuing World Cup in Brazil, he made one appearance - in another 0-0 draw, this time against Ecuador, when future United teammate Antonio Valencia was sent off.

Schneiderlin continued his fine form on his return to club action in 2014/15 and made a total of 25 appearances to help Southampton qualify for the Europa League in seventh place. The Frenchman will now hope to play in the Champions League instead, with United, and add yet another layer of experience to his incredible story after becoming Louis van Gaal's fourth signing of summer 2015.

Credit: Manutd.com