Everton agree £24m deal for Man United outcast Schneiderlin

Manchester United have agreed a £24million fee to sell midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton.

The 27-year-old moved to Old Trafford from Southampton in a deal worth around £25million in July 2015 but has struggled to make an impact since manager Jose Mourinho’s arrival last summer.

Schneiderlin now looks set join former Saints boss Ronald Koeman at Goodison Park, with realistic add-ons understood to have been built in that could take the transfer figure to £24million.

The move is set to bring an end to a difficult spell in Manchester for the France international, who has struggled for game time since Mourinho’s appointment.

He is yet to start a match in the league this season, having been named in the first XI 25 times by Louis van Gaal last campaign, and has made just eight appearances in all with Mourinho admitting last week that he no longer considered the midfielder for selection.

Commenting on the futures of Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, who has also been linked with a move to Goodison, the Portuguese manager said: “Their situation is exactly the same, both of them I will allow to leave the club.

“I will allow them to leave if the right offer comes. Until this moment, no. Is this a good situation? No. Why not? Because I don’t think about them as options in this moment.”

Leicester make masked protest over Vardy ban

Jamie Vardy masks are left on the seats ahead of the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Everton at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on December 26, 2016. Vardy will miss this afternoon's game after being sent off against Stoke.AFP/Paul Ellis

Leicester City’s owners distributed around 30,000 Jamie Vardy masks ahead of their game against Everton on Monday in protest at the England striker’s three-game suspension.
Vardy was banned by the Football Association after being sent off for a two-footed challenge on Mame Biram Diouf during champions Leicester’s recent 2-2 draw at Stoke City.
Leicester had an appeal against the punishment rejected, which Thai chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha described as “unfair”.
Pictures circulating on social media showed rows of Vardy masks placed on the blue seats at Leicester’s King Power Stadium ahead of their home game with Everton.
FA chairman Greg Clarke was due to attend the match.
Leicester go into the game 15th in the Premier League table, three points above the relegation zone.

Morgan Schneiderlin asks to leave Manchester United - Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Morgan Schneiderlin has asked to leave Manchester United, with West Bromwich Albion leading the race to sign the midfielder after lodging a £13 million bid.

Schneiderlin, a £24m signing from Southampton in July 2015, has failed to start a Premier League game for United this season and has not appeared at all since making a substitute appearance against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Nov. 19.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman is also keen to sign Schneiderlin, having worked with the Frenchman at Southampton.

But with the transfer window due to open on Jan. 1, United manager Mourinho has said that he is willing to sell the player following talks between the pair.

"He is a great professional, a fantastic boy, very honest and open," Mourinho said. "He opened his heart to me a couple of times and my answer is simple.

"If he was playing regularly with me, I have the right to say no way. But if he is not playing, I have no right to say you are going nowhere.

"My answer was that, if the offer is right and the board thinks it's a good offer in relation to quality of a very good player like Morgan, I wouldn't stop him going."

Schneiderlin is not expected to figure in the matchday squad for Monday's home game against Southampton, with Memphis Depay, another Everton target, also likely to miss out.

Meanwhile, West Brom manager Tony Pulis confirmed the club had made bids for several players but declined to discuss names.

"We have made bids for four or five players, we won't talk about them today. We will talk about them if we get them." he said.

"I don't want to go into it specifically, doing deals and business with people you should deal directly with them. Once they are done you can talk about them more openly. That's the way I prefer to conduct my business.

"We'll be spending a bit of money left over from the previous window, then moving on from there. They are very keen to keep the club running financially positively. They feel they can if they manage it properly."

Man United can still reach top four but 'long distance' from title - Guardiola

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side beat Mourinho's United 2-1 at Old Trafford back in September.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes local rivals Manchester United can still challenge for a Champions League qualification spot this season but added that Jose Mourinho's side are a "long distance" off the title pace.

United are currently nine points off fourth-placed City in the Premier League table following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton, which maintained the club's worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.

Mourinho's side are 13 points behind leaders Chelsea, who won 3-1 at City on Saturday to avoid being overtaken at the top by their hosts.

Guardiola said that, while he thought resurrecting their title hopes would be difficult, United could still challenge for a return to the Champions League next year after missing out on this season's competition.

"I saw the games against Stoke and Burnley, and other ones at Old Trafford," Guardiola told his prematch news conference ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match at Celtic.

"They deserved by far to win the games but football is like this. United have the quality, the history, the manager and the players to be there.

"Of course, 13 points is a long distance, especially when one team is winning games with the quality of Chelsea. So it is not easy. But to be in the first four? Of course."

City have already ensured their progress into the round of 16 in Europe, qualifying as runners-up in their group behind Barcelona.

David Moyes: Sunderland's disastrous run of form making me feel lousy

Sunderland manager David Moyes has said his record at the club is "damning" after seeing them pick up only two points from their first 10 Premier League games.

The Black Cats were beaten 4-1 at home by Arsenal on Saturday, and former Everton and Manchester United boss Moyes said the run was making him "feel lousy."

Speaking about his record so far, he said: "It's damning, I agree.

"It does make me feel lousy, and I do. I don't feel good about it but you've got to take it. I probably spend Saturday night, and quite often, in a darkened room somewhere.

"Hopefully by the time Monday morning comes, you are ready to go again. You've got to get it out of the system and you are up and running again.

"You try not to get too caught up in the whole thing. I don't think we can do. If we were going in blasting every player, I don't think things will necessarily get any better."

He said he and his staff were trying to "train correctly, trying to put into practice what we think will be good for them."

The 53-year-old, whose next game is at Bournemouth on Saturday, said there was no doubt that Sunderland "are in a difficult situation" and added: "We need results to show that things are going in the right direction.

"Everybody is judging by results, but I don't feel that pressure from the people I work with."