Making The Right Move

New signing Morgan Schneiderlin is hoping to sample the goodison atmosphere for the first time from the start this afternoon, keen to repay the faith shown in him by blues boss ronald koeman

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Sometimes even a brief encounter can leave a lasting impression.   

It took just one season for Morgan Schneiderlin to find out everything he needed to know about life under the management of Ronald Koeman. It took the current Everton manager even less time to realise the quality of the France international, making the task of fighting off Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to retain the midfielder’s services one of his top priorities during his first summer in charge of Southampton.

Koeman eventually let his prized midfielder depart St Mary’s for Old Trafford a year later - in July 2015 - but when it became apparent that particular adventure was coming to an end, Schneiderlin admits the lure of working with his former Saints boss at Everton was one that proved too tempting to resist.

“It was a big thing for me to know the manager,” admits Schneiderlin, who has penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Blues. “When I decided that my time at Manchester United was over and when I had the green light from Jose Mourinho to leave the club, for me it was important to make a good choice. I wanted to bounce back to a club with big ambitions who wants to achieve big things. I spoke with a lot of people, a lot of managers from different clubs but then I got a call from Everton. I knew Ronald Koeman and the staff who I worked with for one year at Southampton and they were very good with me and I played some of my best football that year. It was an easy choice for me but, most importantly, I’m very happy to join a big club in English history who want to achieve some big things.