“I lost me as a player” – Morgan Schneiderlin makes ‘frustrating’ admission about Manchester United stint
Morgan Schneiderlin has said that he lost himself as a player at Manchester United. The midfielder added that he was affected by the demands of Louis van Gaal and shares the blame for his failure.
The Frenchman joined Manchester United in 2015 after an impressive stint at Southampton. Schneiderlin stayed at Old Trafford for 1.5 years before switching to Everton.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Schneiderlin said that he could not match the demands of Van Gaal during his time at Old Trafford. He added that he lost himself as a player:
"I was too affected by what (manager) Louis van Gaal was asking from me. I lost me as a player. It was not me on the field. It was not just the manager's fault; it was my fault, too. My role was not the one I had at Southampton. I felt restricted in my game. I felt they wanted to change things in me."
He added:
"I was not thinking as me, I was thinking about what pleased the coach. When you reach that point, every pass you make, everything you do, you don't play free. Something stopped me from being who I was. I wanted so much to do well, and it is one of the most frustrating things ever."
Manchester United move was at the wrong time, says Morgan Schneiderlin
Morgan Schneiderlin does not regret his move to United but believes it happened at the wrong time. He added that the Red Devils are still the biggest club in the world, but the atmosphere at the club was not great when he was there.
He said:
"It was a weird feeling at Manchester United. For me, it is the biggest club in the world, no doubt, but I joined at the wrong time. The training ground needed to be more modern, and other things needed to change. You could feel the atmosphere at the club wasn't great. If you play for Manchester United, you have quality, I was full of dreams going there and didn't expect things to go that way."
Schneiderlin now plays for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia, on loan from Nice.