Saturday 15 April 2017 07:47, UK
Everton have lost only one match with Morgan Schneiderlin in their team. His value to Ronald Koeman's side in the three months since his debut, a 4-0 demolition of Manchester City at Goodison Park back in January, should not be underestimated.
They miss his discipline and composure when he is absent and this was never more apparent than for the Merseyside derby at the start of the month when Liverpool were able to dominate Everton in the midfield.
Schneiderlin's impressive start to his career at Goodison is in keeping with his character. He doesn't want time time stand still on a career that he believes hasn't come close to reaching its peak. The Frenchman talks in a matter-of-fact manner about the reasons for his decision to leave Manchester United and make the short hop down the East Lancs Road to join up with Koeman for a second time in his career.
They are words that should hearten Evertonians everywhere. "This club has ambition. They want to do great things and it has put a lot of confidence in me. I want Everton to reach the top and play in the Champions' League. I'm just 27 and I want to do big things with this football club."
Everton are now level on points with Arsenal, albeit having played two games more. From the outside looking in they have some way to go to take that next step and challenge the traditional Champions' League contenders on a consistent basis, but Schneiderlin doesn't necessarily agree that they are a long way from competing at the top.
"Maybe, maybe not. We have to strengthen in every position, especially next year if we have Europa League football we need a squad with depth where you can replace everyone with someone who can do the job very well. We are confident the management will bring the players in and those already here are good players. We are not missing too much."
Everton fans will be buoyed by that and Schneiderlin received commitments on signing for the club that they won't be standing still over the summer.
"That was the main thing for me, I wanted a club with ambition - not just to speak but to act on it," he adds. "They brought good players last summer and they will bring good players this summer, they told me so. That's what made me want to come. And I knew the players who were here already, every time I played against Everton it was hard."
Amongst those players already here are an ever-growing list of youngsters who have been given an opportunity under Koeman. Tom Davies shone again with a goal at the weekend in the 4-2 victory over Leicester but there are others like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Mason Holgate, Matthew Pennington and Ademola Lookman who don't look out of place.
"They have great qualities and a very good future if they continue to listen and work hard," says Schneiderlin. "That's up to them to improve. When you're younger you don't think too much and just play and that's nice at that age to have that, we encourage them to express themselves. The manager here gives opportunities to everyone and lets the better players play, whether you are 18 or 36. The manager isn't scared to play the young players."
Schneiderlin would fall in the middle of that age bracket but he has the assuredness of a senior player these days. Next season will be his 10th in the English game. He was a little known teenager when he made the move from French club Strasbourg to League One Southampton in the summer of 2008, but the ambition was already there.
"When I was 18 I wanted to first of all play in the Premier League and make my mark there and then it was my dream to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world and that's what I achieved," he explains. "I don't have one regret about my time in England, even if there are things I would change."
There is certainly little he would change about his time at Southampton, perhaps apart from a frustrated tweet he sent out when he felt the club reneged on a promise to let him move away from St Mary's in the summer of 2014. 'Six years of an amazing journey destroyed in one hour!' was the message but history will judge his stay at Southampton kindly. He was a key player in the club's phenomenal rise through two divisions to establish themselves in the Premier League.
When he did leave the following season it was for Manchester United, fulfilling those teenage ambitions. But under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho his first team opportunities were limited. So was it a case of him being a bad fit for United's requirements?
Schneiderlin pauses to choose his words carefully. He believes much of what went on was out of his hands. "At Manchester I knew I could play there, no problem. It wasn't myself who controlled everything. I'm very proud to have worn that shirt. It's a massive club in the football world, it was something I was relishing and I was very happy there.
"Unfortunately it didn't work out very well but that's life. Maybe I didn't go there at the right time, but I've taken that experience to help improve me going forward. Sitting here today I don't know what my future will be. I have four years on my contract at Everton and I am very happy.
"If you ask me I say I will stay a long time, maybe for the rest of my career, but in football you never know. Maybe in four years' time Everton don't want me anymore, maybe they will sell me. I'm just going to take it year by year and see what I can do to improve every season."
In just three months Everton already feels like home for Schneiderlin. A better judgement of his time here will be when that contract comes to an end but he has begun his time as a Blue on the front foot.
Watch the full interview with Morgan Schneiderlin on Soccer Saturday, from midday on Sky Sports News HQ
