Schneiderlin blames false report for Everton downfall
Former Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has reiterated that reports from 2017 claiming he had been ejected from training were false.
Signed from Manchester United in January 2017, Schneiderlin took to life on Merseyside in fine fashion, impressing during his first six months with the club.
However the Frenchman struggled to maintain that level of performance through his second season at Goodison Park, finding himself in and out of Ronald Koeman’s line-up.
Sky Sports reported in November 2017 that both Schneiderlin and Kevin Mirallas had been ejected from training for showing a lack of effort, with further reports claiming Duncan Ferguson had personally told the duo to leave.
Schneiderlin denied the claims at the time, reaffirming his commitment to the Toffees, although his explanation was met with a mixed response.
In an exclusive interview with Royal Blue Mersey, Schneiderlin doubled down on his claims that the reports were false, indicating that the speculation cost him his future at Everton.
Reflecting on the incident, Schneiderlin said: “I’m in Nice now, I’m away from England, so if it really happened, I would tell you straight to your face: ‘Yes, it happened,’ but it didn’t.
“I was out of the squad [against Watford the following Sunday]. I came to train with him [Ferguson] and the only thing he told me was: ‘Morgan, look. I know you’re very sad, I know you played two days ago. If you want to go in, you can go in,’ and that’s what I did. It’s the only thing that happened. Then I was very surprised [to read] two days later that I quit training.
“I think that was the turning point of my Everton career because after this, people didn’t judge me again for my performances. They just judged me because of this, because they thought I disrespected the club and the shirt.
“I think a lot of fans didn’t believe me; they just believed what they read in the paper. I think that cost me my future at Everton.”
More to it than that
Schneiderlin’s time as an Everton player was undeniably marred with controversy, with the Frenchman’s attitude often called into question whenever he failed to live up to the standards he himself set during his initial six months with the club.
The 31-year old went from being a terrific signing for the Toffees to someone who was often the brunt of fan criticism, someone who would make an easy scapegoat when Everton were struggling to perform.
Perhaps it makes sense then that Schneiderlin pinpoints one minor moment of false reporting to be the catalyst to his downfall at Goodison Park, whether that is the case though remains a different conversation entirely.
Football fandom is fickle by its very nature. Fans are quick to turn on players that had once turned in exceptional performances when things begin to go wrong, and there are very few players if any that are immune to such criticism.
Schneiderlin ultimately set the bar so high when he first joined Everton that he struggled to maintain that level, and the fact that Everton haven’t missed him since he joined Nice last summer speaks to the lack of influence he held within the walls at Finch Farm.
In other Everton news, Everton want to sign £25.9m-rated star that Champions League manager called the ‘complete player’.
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