Manchester United have become known for being a club that has been relatively lacklustre in the recruitment department over the years.
Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, and Fred are also recent examples of players who left the club permanently for a low fee.
However, there are a handful of examples of when the Red Devils have been able to recoup a good chunk of their money, with a former midfielder being one of them.
Morgan Schneiderlin’s time at Man United
In the summer of 2015, Morgan Schneiderlin signed for Louis Van Gaal’s Man United alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger in what was supposedly a midfield rebuild at the club.
The French star moved to Old Trafford for around £24m after starring in a Southampton side that finished eighth in the table. The right-footed engine played 24 games over the campaign, scoring four goals while also being selected in Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher's early team of the season over Cesc Fabregas, which ultimately earned him the move to Manchester.
During his first, and only full campaign at the club, Schneiderlin featured quite heavily, starting 25 matches in the league. However, the following January, Everton came along with a £20m offer, which both the player and United snapped up immediately.
The France international became surplus to requirements under Jose Mourinho, and over his short United career, the former Saints star played 47 matches across all competitions, scoring and assisting once.
Schneiderlin’s career since leaving United
Unfortunately, Schneiderlin has never been able to recover the form and talent that he once showed at Southampton, but he has recently shared his huge regrets about leaving United:
“When I signed, I wanted to be a legend there. That is why I am mad with myself and it will be hard until the end of my life.”
Despite staying at the Toffees for four seasons, he only featured frequently in the 2017/18 season, where he played 30 matches. Over the other three campaigns, he racked up 34 starts.
The 34-year-old then switched England for his home country, France, in the hope that he could reignite his career with Nice. He started brightly in his first campaign in Ligue 1, starting 24 games, but two years later, he found himself in the Australian top flight for Western Sydney, where he played just 12 matches.
Everton
2016-2020
88
Nice
2020-2022
59
Western Sydney
2023-2023
12
A.E. Kifisia
2023-Present
4
Fast forward to today, and the 6 foot 1 dud finds himself playing for A.E. Kifisia in the Greek Super League, who are currently second from bottom. The defensive-minded midfielder has only featured in four matches however, where his side have failed to win a game.
Schneiderlin’s decline throughout his career is such a sad sight to see, but United pulled off a masterstroke to recover almost every penny back from what they originally spent on him.
Will his adventure in Greece be the last chapter in Schneiderlin’s footballing journey, or is there another twist to his “rollercoaster” of a career?