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October 2013 and Southampton came to Old Trafford having lost there on their eight previous visits. They were again losing, but an overly cautious home side had failed to kill them off and Manchester United’s 1-0 lead seemed precarious.

Two minutes of normal time remained when seven Southampton players marched forward to attack a corner ball. Southampton’s players sensed a chance from the corner. One, Adam Lallana, shot in a crowd of players and the ball found a way past David de Gea.

The surprise team of the Premier League, Southampton sat fourth before the game with two goals conceded from seven games, the best defence in Europe’s major leagues after AS Roma.

United’s coaches withdrew to lick their wounds but also to study what had hit them. Some had only noticed a 23-year-old Frenchman called Morgan Schneiderlin when he fouled Adnan Januzaj to earn a first-half yellow card, but the former Strasbourg player was the best on the pitch and he looked it when a mazy second-half run saw him go past several United players.

United were floored only to get a draw – and so were Southampton. They were deeply unimpressed by United and thought they’d done enough to win. They had another chance at the end of the season. Another draw. Another impressive Schneiderlin performance as they finished with a club record 56 points.

Click through the gallery to see United's summer transfer targets in pictures.

The stock of the Alsatian, who grew up near Strasbourg and joined RS Strasbourg as a kid before progressing through their ranks, had risen so much that he attracted bigger suitors. Two days after that draw against United, Didier Deschamps named him in France’s standby list for the 2014 World Cup and he made the full squad following injuries to Franck Ribery and Clement Grenier. He played against Ecuador in Brazil.

A private, quiet man who is popular in the Saints’ dressing room, his teammates were surprised when he wrote critical remarks about Southampton on social media and told the club he wanted to move last summer.

Having sold five of their best players including Luke Shaw to United in a record transfer for a teenager, plus Lallana and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool, Southampton didn’t want to lose him. Insiders suspected Schneiderlin then did a deal with the club where they understood that he’d move on this summer.

United denied any bid, but the club were interested last August and Schneiderlin knew it. Tottenham, who’d had an outline deal in place for him, were rejected.

When United went to Southampton last season in December, their players fancied their chances of a win. They dominated possession and they lost. Again they were unimpressed by the lack of quality in the United team, and not just because they were livid at the loss. They said little of the sort on the record.

Southampton finally gained the win they considered overdue when they beat United 1-0 at Old Trafford in January 2015 with a Dusan Tadic goal. Again Schneiderlin didn’t make headlines, but his defensive midfield partnership with Kenyan Victor Wanyama was impenetrable.

Teammates compared Schneiderlin to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets – always calm, adding balance to the team. Like Busquets, he goes forward on the odd run which doesn’t come off like it did at Old Trafford, but - the occasional lapse apart - he is considered one of their best players. They knew he’d move to a bigger team and if he did it would be with their best wishes – his behaviour and demeanour remained impeccable.

United want to sign him but the clubs hadn’t agreed a fee as of Tuesday evening after the Saints rejected United’s first offer of £25 million on June 20th. At Southampton, they still think he’s on his way to Old Trafford, the latest big-money departure from a youth and scouting system which is superior to any other club in England.

Read more from Andy Mitten

The south coast club think there are a few niggles to sort out. Expect Southampton to play hardball for a player they don’t need to sell, but one they know wants to leave. United fans have learned to realise that a deal isn’t done until it’s done.

Teammates thought Schneiderlin, 25, was going to Arsenal for the player had spoken of his desire to play in the Champions League but United can pay him more and Arsene Wenger is now letting it be known that they’re looking for a bigger name to reinforce their midfield.

At Southampton, a replacement, Feyenoord’s Jordy Clasie, has already been identified, but Feyenoord have little inclination to sell. United don’t want to lose De Gea, Southampton Schneiderlin and Feyenoord Clasie. And, with two months left of the transfer window, they’re under no pressure to sell their contracted players who want to leave. It’s not ideal for Louis van Gaal, who returns to work on Thursday (though he was in his Carrington office on Tuesday), but as with the last two summer transfer windows, the waiting game continues.