Summary Manchester United's transfer decisions since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement have been largely underwhelming, with inflated fees spent on players who didn't meet expectations. Morgan Schneiderlin was one such player, signed for £24 million and earning a reported £100k-per-week. His performance at United did not justify his hefty price tag. Schneiderlin's career has since spiraled downward, with unsuccessful stints at Everton, Nice, and Western Sydney Wanderers. The move to United was a costly and disastrous mistake for all involved.
Manchester United have looked like a shadow of their former selves since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, the legendary Scotsman stepping down after having led the club to their 13th Premier League title in the space of just 20 years.
Since the great man hung up the suit jacket for good, United have won a grand total of four major trophies and for a club as big as United, it simply isn’t good enough.
Not only have they endured a decade-long spell without much to cheer on the pitch, off of it, several managers have spent inflated fees on players who were simply not up to the required standard to help the Old Trafford side win trophies.
Jose Mourinho shelled out a staggering £93.2m on Paul Pogba, who ended up leaving the club for free, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paid £80m for defender Harry Maguire, and his value has now dropped to just €19m (£16.5m), representing a massive decline in just four years.
It was arguably Louis Van Gaal who struggled the most in the transfer window, signing players such as Ángel Di María, Matteo Darmian, Radamel Falcao, and Marcos Rojo, although it was a midfielder who perhaps turned into one of his worst-ever pieces of transfer business…
How much did Manchester United sign Morgan Schneiderlin for?
Following a rather underwhelming season during 2014/15 which saw United fail to win any trophies while suffering an embarrassing League Cup defeat to MK Dons, going down 4-0, the Dutchman looked to bolster his squad.
In came players such as Anthony Martial and Bastian Schweinsteiger, adding a blend of youth and experience, yet it was the signing of Southampton gem Morgan Schneiderlin which caught the eye, especially with regard to the transfer fee.
The Frenchman ended up costing the Red Devils £24m, signing a three-year contract in the process, having made 261 appearances for the south coast side across a seven-year stint.
Van Gaal was delighted to bring him on board, saying: “Morgan is a very talented player with great energy and ability. His skills will complement the players that we already have and I am very pleased that we have been able to complete this deal before the tour to the United States.
“That training camp will be very important in our preparations for the new season and gives Morgan and the other players a chance to show our fans what they can achieve together.”
It didn’t take long for the move to turn sour, as the midfielder became just another expensive flop to play for United since Ferguson retired.
How much did Morgan Schneiderlin earn at Manchester United?
Along with the £24m transfer fee, the former Saints star reportedly earned a staggering £100k-per-week during his brief spell with United.
This was a major increase on the £33k-per-week he was earning at Southampton and this boost in salary brought with it a lot more pressure, with the Old Trafford faithful expecting their side to win every game.
Did Morgan Schneiderlin deserve to earn £100k-p/w at Manchester United?
While his transfer fee was dwarfed by the likes of Di Maria and Martial, it was still a significant sum to shell out on someone who had made just 95 Premier League appearances during his career up until that point.
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During his maiden season at United, the Frenchman went on to play 39 times across all competitions and even won an FA Cup winners medal, the first trophy the club had won since the 2013 league title.
It was evident that he wasn’t worth £24m, yet perhaps could be a decent squad option for the club as they looked to claim more trophies under Mourinho, who had replaced Van Gaal in the summer of 2016.
Things just got worse for Schneiderlin, however, as he went on to play just eight times during the first half of the 2016/17 season, and it was clear Mourinho didn’t see him in his future plans.
Remarkably, Everton made a bid of £24m for him which was unsurprisingly accepted by the Portuguese manager in January 2017 as he went on to sign a four-year deal with the Toffees, yet his brief stint in Manchester proved to be a colossal waste of money.
Indeed, over just 18 months, the midfielder drained the club of £29.2m – £24m transfer fee combined with the £5.2m wages he earned – and this has been a recurring theme in the post-Fergie era at United.
What happened to Morgan Schneiderlin?
A fresh start at Everton looked like the best thing for all parties, yet he failed to even reach 100 appearances for the Merseyside outfit during his three and half years at the club, while even being criticised by BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty, who said: “In the end that wasn't close to embarrassing for Everton – it was embarrassing. Schneiderlin having a shocking run under the radar. Awful.”
He left the Goodison Park outfit for Nice back in 2020 for a significant loss – with reports stating that he would only cost the French side between £1.8m to £3.6m – and his career failed to get back on track.
This spell in his homeland was followed by a brief stint in Australia, playing 12 games for the Western Sydney Wanderers while he is now without a club at the age of just 33.
His move to United was a strange one to begin with, and he failed to show the form which led to him starring for Southampton in the years previously.
Shelling out £24m on the player was a typically United thing to do, and it proved to be a disastrous move for all parties. Schneiderlin made just 47 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring once, and it’s evident he was one of Van Gaal’s worst signings of his turbulent two-year tenure.
Erik ten Hag has spent vast amounts on quite a few new players during his spell in charge of the club and only time will tell whether they will lead the club to glory, or repeat the past and turn into expensive flops which bleed the club dry.