PAUL DOYLE
Southampton v Manchester United
Sunday, 4pm, St Marys
Sky Sports 1
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 £24 million (€33m) transfer from Southampton, with whom he had spent seven years.
Stomping ground
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 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 club in a very positive way.”
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 but the south-coast club refused to agree to the move.
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 in the summer, the club felt it could not prevent him leaving again.
“It’s difficult always to say that its not possible to leave club, but to tell him twice is impossible,” said Koeman.
Southampton are eager to ensure that Koeman is not the next big name to leave the club. The manager's contract at St Marys runs until the summer of 2017 but the Dutch Football Association is said to be keen on luring him back to his homeland to restore his national team's fortunes.
No secret
Koeman has made no secret of the fact that he would like to manage his country one day but has always maintained that he would not break his contract with Southampton. He denied reports Southampton have offered him a new contract to keep him at the club.
“It’s too early to discuss that,” he said. “I had several meetings with board in the last two weeks but not about my contract. I don’t think it’s the right moment to talk about it. There’s still a long time to go. Maybe something for after the summer, not this season.” Guardian service
