Why Morgan Schneiderlin Is the 1 Manchester United Player Arsenal Wish They Had

When Arsenal face Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Gunners supporters will cast envious eyes at one particular player in Louis van Gaal’s XI: defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.

For a long time, it was assumed that when Schneiderlin left Southampton, it would be for Arsenal. He’s from the same region of France as Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who has subsequently tracked his entire career. In February of 2015, French newspaper L’Equipe (h/t the Independent) even claimed that Schneiderlin had agreed to move to north London in the summer.

That did not prove to be the case. With Arsenal opting not to sign a single outfield player, Schneiderlin instead ended up at Old Trafford.

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Wenger has since done little to disguise his admiration for the France international. Speaking to Sam Long of the Evening Standard, he praised United’s midfield additions:

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They’ve made interesting buys. They did it by buying two important players - Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin - but two top class players, one who goes up to the top level and one who has done it all.

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It was frustrating for Arsenal fans to see Schneiderlin join United unimpeded. If Arsenal were going to add to their outfield contingent, holding midfield was certainly an area where there was room to strengthen.

Wenger’s decision not to enter the bidding for Schneiderlin will surely have been influenced by the surprise emergence of Francis Coquelin. In the second half of the season, Coquelin went from reserve player to integral member of the first team. Wenger may have feared inhibiting Coquelin’s development by adding another top-class midfielder. Instead, Wenger chose to extend the contract of the veteran Mikel Arteta.

That decision looks somewhat naive now. First of all, there’s the issue of quality: Although Arteta is a highly respected member of the squad, he does not seem to have the physical attributes required to match Coquelin’s combative contribution. He is more at ease as a deep-lying playmaker than destroyer and can often find himself outrun by sprightlier midfields. 

Then there’s the question of reliability that surrounds Arsenal’s current crop of midfielders. Already this season, Coquelin has suffered an injury. What’s more, his supposed deputies, Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, will both miss the United game with fitness problems.

Acquiring Schneiderlin would have allowed Arsenal to rotate in holding midfield without suffering a significant drop in quality, protecting both players in the process.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Understandably, Wenger has been quizzed on his decision to overlook Schneiderlin. Talking to James Cambridge of the Express, Wenger would only reveal the following cryptic insight: “I had information on this case that I am not in a position to tell you.”

One can only guess what Wenger is alluding to. It might be exorbitant financial demands or simply that Schneiderlin had a personal preference for joining United. Either way, his words will do little to dampen the sense of regret a section of the Arsenal fanbase feel about missing out on the powerful midfielder.

Disgruntled supporters can only hope that Schneiderlin does not give them more cause for recriminations in the forthcoming fixture between the two sides.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.