Morgan's Admiration For Adkins

Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is looking forward to seeing a familiar face when Sheffield United arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday for the Emirates FA Cup third-round tie.

Schneiderlin spent just over two years working under the visitors' manager Nigel Adkins during his time at Southampton and enjoyed back-to-back promotions with him as he guided Saints from League One back to the Premier League in 2010/11 and 2011/12.

The French international has huge admiration for his former boss who has just been named Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month for December after the Blades picked up nine points from nine and conceded just one goal as they moved back into the promotion picture in League One.

Schneiderlin thoroughly enjoyed his time under Adkins and knows he’ll bring a well-organised outfit to Old Trafford at the weekend.

“The standard is good in League One. You can see some teams in there like Sheffield United who are big teams,” he told MUTV. “There are some quality players in the league and every team is playing for their lives; it’s a league you need to take very seriously.

“It will be great to see him,” he added, when asked about his old manager. “He was an important part in the Southampton rise. He came in when we were in League One and in his first year we went into the Championship and then the Premier League. He didn’t have enough time to show his skill as a Premier League manager with Southampton but it was a joy to work with him. He’s a manager who is always optimistic and always has a smile on his face. It will be nice to see him.”