United fans have been looking for a replacement for the Paul Scholes and Roy Keane combo for many years now, and we thought we had the replacement when Ed Woodward bought Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger last summer. The duo was named ” Schmidfield” and initially, looked like it would turn out very well for us. However despite showing some early promise, inconsistency, weird selection process and injury have hit both of them hard. In this piece, I specially examine the Frenchman’s season, and try to find out how it can improve next year.
History:
Morgan was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season, and had scored 7 goals in the league for his club Southampton. His partnership in the middle with Victor Wanyama was a treat to watch, and he led the Premier League charts for the highest number of interceptions executed. United bought him for 26 million last year.
Stat attack:
Squawka says that this season, Schneiderlin has made 29 appearances in the Barclays Premier League. He has also featured in the Europa league 3 times. In theEnglish Barclays Premier League, the 26 year old has scored one goal this season, creating nine chances and no assists, completed 1277 passes with a pass accuracy of 89%, of which 73% were forward passes. He has also won 35% of all his duels and has had a shot accuracy of 14%.
Fan view:
Morgan settled in brilliantly initially, with his intelligent positioning and tackling providing an effective shield to the defence. He has received only 3 yellow cards this season, and at one point, a stat showed that United were winning 70% of their games when he was being played. Howevet, van Gaal’s unfathomable obsession with Maroune Fellaini cost him his place in the starting line up, and an injury then caused him to lose more time. The former Saints man has showed promise this campaign, and despite being subbed off at half time at West Ham last week, he could still be a key player for us if he is used wisely. A player takes time to settle him, and Morgan has really been hurried this season. There is not a shadow of doubt about his quality,and his composure and passing, are especially beneficial in tight situations. Here’s looking forward to better performances from you, Frenchman!
Season score: 6.5/10
