This week on The Players Pod, Robbie Cornthwaite was joined by Western Sydney Wanderers star Morgan Schneiderlin and Wellington Phoenix gun Oskar Zawada. Listen below!
Sadio Mane, a Manchester United player?
Well, if Louis Van Gaal had his way, it could have come to fruition in 2015.
In his second season in charge, Van Gaal went on a spending spree, bringing in a host of big name players to help United back into title contention after the post Sir Alex Ferguson era dip at Old Trafford.
The new arrivals included Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Anthony Martial and now Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin – who was signed from Southampton for around £25 million (A$46m).
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Schneiderlin was part of an extremely talented Saints outfit who finished seventh the season before and many of their star players, including the French midfielder, were gaining interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
One of those was Mane, who had scored 10 goals in his debut season in southern England, and Van Gaal was keen on luring him to United as he looked to turbocharge his attack.
On this week’s edition of The Players Pod, the Wanderers star recalled how the former Netherlands boss got in his ear to see if he could steer Mane towards Old Trafford.
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In season 2022-23, you can listen to Robbie weekly on his KEEPUP podcast – The Players Pod, with Robbie Cornthwaite. He chats to Morgan Schneiderlin and Oskar Zawada on the 24th episode. Listen below or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“Sadio is someone from the first day, you could see that he has something about him,” Schneiderlin said on The Players Pod, brought to you by Neds.
“It took him a bit of of time, a few months, to get really going and then as soon as he started to score some goals it was game over, and it was amazing.
“I remember that when I signed, Louis Van Gaal was asking me about him coming to Man United and I tried my best for him to come as well, but he wanted to stay one more year and go to Liverpool.
“I think the choice that he made was amazing because he arrived in Liverpool squad that was just untouchable at the time.
“It was great for him. He made a very good choice in his career.”
Almost eight years have passed and Mane’s career has gone to new heights, starring under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool for six seasons – where he won the Premier League (2020) and the UEFA Champions League in 2019.
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Mane now plies his trade for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, who he signed for in the off-season.
Schneiderlin’s career, however, never really kicked on to the same heights after his ill-fated move to United, falling out with Van Gaal before moving to Everton in 2017 after two seasons at the club.
However, the French international has no regrets for how it panned out, despite it being a difficult time in not only his career, but for the club as a whole.
“It’s massive, it’s a dream come true… it was something I couldn’t refuse,” he said.
“I had (a) few opportunities to go to other clubs. I made my choice to go to Manchester United, because for me, it’s the biggest club in England.
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“When you walk into that door, you know that it is the biggest club in England with everything that’s around the club with all the fans. It’s just amazing.
“It was not the best moment, of course, because post-Ferguson was a bit harder. I think that the team and the mood around the squad wasn’t great.
“But it will stay forever in my head. It was something that, I don’t regret and it was an amazing time.”
Schneiderlin had arrived after United finished seventh and fourth in consecutive seasons following Ferguson’s departure, with Van Gaal in his second campaign at the club after David Moyes’ dismissal in 2014.
And when the results trended in a negative direction, the 33-year-old felt “the mood” shift, particularly as they failed to live up to their lofty expectations in the Premier League and in Europe.
“When you come to a club that won so many things for so many years, we are used to winning the Premier League, where they used to go to the quarterfinals, semi-finals of Champions League… that was the bare minimum,” he said.
“When you arrive to a club and you finish fourth, you get knocked out soon from the Champions League, the mood is not great.
“The pressure, it’s on every week. You win one game, the fans, everyone, the pundits, they say ‘oh Manchester United are back’. You’re losing the next game, you make the front page, of every newspaper in the country.
“It’s something you need to be ready for it. You don’t have to read the press at all, because if you read you’re dead so it’s better to stay focused.”
‘It’s the best year of my life’ – Zawada
Oskar Zawada has been a revelation at Wellington Phoenix this season.
The Polish marksman has dominated since arriving last off-season, sitting third in the Golden Boot standings with 14 goals and helping the ‘Nix into fifth on the ladder heading into the final two weeks of the campaign.
Overall, it’s been the best season of his senior career, never reaching a double digits goal tally in a single season at any of his previous clubs.
Off the field, as well, it’s been a year to remember as he welcomed the birth of his first child in March.
On The Players Pod, Zawada spoke about how it has been “easy” for him and his wife to adapt to living in New Zealand, saying the lack of language barrier and also living conditions have helped him enormously.
“I see many similar things to European life and I really feel like I’m at home,” he said.
“My wife is also very happy here and for me, it’s my best year in my life, not only on the pitch but even in my private life.”
“I have a very good feeling in New Zealand. I have a very good feeling in Australia. I really love both countries and I really look forward even for my future.
“Maybe this is the place where I was looking to live after football because so far everything is amazing.”
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