Playing for Southampton, Manchester United and Everton in his career in England, Morgan Schneiderlin decided it was time to leave the Premier League this summer and return to France.
Starting his career with Strasbourg before crossing the Channel at the age of 18, the defensive midfielder signed for Nice at 30, planning to discover Ligue 1 properly for the first time.
However, things could have been very different had he listened to the other offers at his disposal when he was younger, notably from Tottenham and Chelsea.
Facing Spurs and the Blues numerous times in his career, Schneiderlin had a chance to play for them early on his career, revealing as much in an interview with Ouest-France on Monday.
He said: “My decision was a much thought through one. Tottenham and Chelsea had made offers for me before, but I didn’t feel it. Southampton is a club that develops players. I visited the infrastructures with my dad, and it clicked immediately. I was criticised at Strasbourg, like I left for money when I was only earning €100 more.
“I was surprised by the constant encouragement in training at Southampton, the complete effort and incredible tackles. I learned to let go of the ball quicker, and then not to count the number of passes I made, but number of balls I intercepted and won”.
Admitting once again he was too impatient at Manchester United and shouldn’t have pushed for game time when he did, Schneiderlin has, otherwise, few regrets.
Still eyeing a spot in the France national team if he can, he will now be looking to help a young Nice team with his experience over the coming season.
