Manchester United boss José Mourinho has confirmed that he will not stand in the way if midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin wants to exit Old Trafford in January.
Schneiderlin has been the subject of heavy interest from Premier League sides West Brom and Everton, with West Brom manager Tony Pulis confirming that the Baggies had placed a bid for the French international on Friday.
When asked about the situation in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Reds’ match against Sunderland on Boxing Day, Mourinho said that Schneiderlin had asked to leave and he would not stand in the way if a suitable offer came in:
Yes. He’s a great professional, a fantastic boy. He’s very honest and very open.
To be honest, he opened his heart a couple of times, and my answer is simple; if he’s playing regularly with me, I have the right to say ‘no way’. If he’s not playing regularly, I have no right to tell a player who wants to be happy, I have no right to say ‘you are going nowhere’.
My answer was: if the offer is right, and our board thinks the offer is a good offer in relation to the quality of a very good player like Morgan, then I would not stop him going.
The 27-year-old signed for United from fellow Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2015 for £24 million and featured 39 times in all competitions under Louis van Gaal in his first season at Old Trafford.
However, Schneiderlin has found playing time harder to come by this season under Mourinho, having made only eight appearances and played just 238 minutes in all competitions.
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