Everton complete £24m deal for Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin

Everton have completed the signing of Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, for a fee that could rise to £24m (€27.5m). The Frenchman, who has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with his new club, was somewhat of a forgotten man at Old Trafford during the first half of the season, making just three Premier League appearances. He will wear the number 2 shirt and link up with Ronald Koeman, his former manager at Southampton.

Schneiderlin is Everton's second signing of the January transfer window and is expected to be included in the Toffees' squad to face Manchester City on Sunday. The France international told of his excitement at reuniting with Koeman and is keen to achieve great things at Goodison Park.

"Everton is a big club in the history of English football," Schneiderlin told the team's official website. "I've always loved the atmosphere in the stadium. I've always liked playing here. I can't wait to play and to represent this great club.

"There is a manager in place here that I know, I know he can get the best out of me, I know his style and how he likes to play football. He was very good with me from the start and I enjoyed playing football under him.

"We spoke since the time I knew Everton would be interested. I know his ambition and why he came here. He believes in this project and I do, too. We are trying to achieve something here and this is what I am here for. I know the fans have big expectations and we'll do everything to make them come true.

Everton boss Koeman seemed to be as delighted as his new acquisition and revealed that Schneiderlin was 'desperate' to swap Manchester for Merseyside.

"I'm very pleased because I know the player, I know the qualities of the player, I know him as a person and he's really desperate to come to Everton – and that's what we need," said Koeman. "We want good players but we also want players who really want to show their qualities in front of the fans of Everton.

"He's a strong character. I worked with him for one season at Southampton and he's a midfield player who can play in different positions in the midfield. He's also a fast player, he's a clever player and he's a personality. Normally, he's part of the French national team and at 27 years old he's part of the future at Everton."

It was a case of one in, one out at Everton on Thursday; midfielder Tom Cleverley left for Watford on loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season. Cleverley never really established himself at Goodison since joining in the summer of 2015 and only made four starts in the Premier League under Koeman.