“I regretted it very quickly” – Morgan Schneiderlin opens up on chat with Jose Mourinho that led to Manchester United exit

Former Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has revealed that he has regrets over his departure from Old Trafford too early. The Frenchman joined the Red Devils from Southampton in the summer of 2015 but his association with the club lasted only about 18 months.

The midfielder moved to Everton in January of 2017 but now admits that he made the decision too early.

Schneiderlin made his move to Old Trafford when Louis van Gaal was in charge of the club but was completely out of favor when Jose Mourinho took over. Seeing his minutes getting severely reduced under the Portuguese manager, the former Strasbourg man asked for a move away from the club.

He eventually got his wish fulfilled with Everton, then managed by Ronald Koeman, making their move. The now 32-year-old told L’Equipe as quoted by Sport Witness:

"I learned a lot from my departure from Manchester United. I had played 40 matches the previous season with Manchester. When I come back from the Euros, I take ten days off and I play very little for three, four months. Then, I have Ronald Koeman and Everton who are pushing hard to get me, every day, from October."

The 32-year-old revealed that he still regrets asking Mourinho to sanction him a move to Goodison Park. The French international continued.

"I will remember it all my life: I should have played against Liverpool. And the coach [Mourinho] comes to see me. He tells me he doesn't feel me inside the group. I tell him that indeed, with what has happened in the last three months, I am not in it and I want to go to Everton. I regretted it very quickly."

Schneiderlin revealed that he thought that he made the right decision at that point in time but now believes that staying put at Old Trafford would be been a smarter move. He also mentioned Ander Herrera, who once went through a similar situation at Manchester United. Schneiderlin said:

"Even if it went very well at Everton, when you play for Manchester United, when you're at a club like that, it's not for a moment of doubt that you have to question everything. Look at Ander Herrera: the first year I arrived, he was on the bench; he persevered, and today he is at PSG."

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Was Schneiderlin right to leave Manchester United?

Schneiderlin made his move to Everton from Manchester United with a view of becoming a first-team regular at Goodison Park. However, his time with the Toffees was nothing special.

He could only make 88 appearances for the Merseyside club over a three-and-a-half-year period spell under multiple managers. The Frenchman has been somewhat able to revive his career since his move back to his homeland and is now one of the key players for Nice.