Southampton’s Ronald Koeman wants warm welcome for Morgan Schneiderlin

Ronald Koeman has called on Southampton fans to give a warm welcome back to Morgan Schneiderlin when the midfielder returns to St Mary’s with Manchester United on Sunday.

Schneiderlin joined United in July following a £24m transfer from Southampton, with whom he had spent seven years, arriving when the club was in League One and helping elevate them to the top half of the Premier League. Koeman foresees Southampton fans greeting the Frenchman with the same affection that they showed Rickie Lambert when the striker came back to his old stomping ground with Liverpool last season – as opposed to the jeers that two other former Saints, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren, received in the same match.

“I hope the reaction to [Schneiderlin] is a positive one,” said Koeman. “He did everything for the club, he had a great time in Southampton and was ready for the next step. I think we have to receive the player like we normally do with other players. How the fans react to Rickie Lambert is what you expect of fans receiving those who did everything for the club in a very positive way, I hope.”

One year before moving to United, at a time when Southampton had just sold players such as Lambert, Lallana, Lovren and Luke Shaw, Schneiderlin expressed his desire to follow the former Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham Hotspur but the south coast club refused to agree to the move, deciding that Schneiderlin was too important to sell. After tweeting his dismay at “6 years of an amazing journey DESTROYED in 1 hour”, Schneiderlin accepted the club’s decision and performed to his familiar high level throughout last season. Koeman says that when United bid for the player this summer the club felt they could not prevent him leaving again.

“It’s difficult always to say that it’s not possible to leave the club but to tell him twice is impossible,” said Koeman. “We had a very good relationship after the difficult summer that we had at the club. His reaction was fantastic. He had a big part in a big season last year and it’s best for him and for the player, that’s the important thing. He’s now player for Manchester United and I wish him the best – but not on Sunday.”

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