Manchester United confirm signing of Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton.

The 25-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the option to extend that by a further year.

He will join Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger at the club, whose arrival from Bayern Munich has also been confirmed.

"I am delighted to be a Manchester United player. Once I learned that United were interested in signing me, it was a very easy decision to make," Schneiderlin told United's official website.

"I have enjoyed seven very happy years with Southampton and it's a club that will always be in my heart. But the chance to be part of this squad to help this great club be successful was too good to miss.

"I'm excited to be starting that journey on our trip to the USA. I know what Manchester United means to fans all over the world and I'm looking forward to experiencing that."

France international Schneiderlin spent seven years on the south coast with Southampton, helping the club in their meteoric rise from League One back to the Premier League which culminated in European qualification last season.

The midfielder made 253 appearances and scored 15 times for Southampton, and the club's director of football, Les Reed, was quick to pass on messages of thanks following the confirmation of the deal.

He said: "Morgan leaves with our sincere appreciation for his service across the past seven years.

"He has been a pivotal figure in our journey from a club in administration and playing in the third tier to one established in the Premier League and set for its first taste of European football in more than a decade.

"Likewise, Southampton has helped Morgan develop from a young and inexperienced midfielder into a fully-fledged international with hundreds of club appearances under his belt, despite his relatively tender years.

"Even in the face of mounting transfer speculation across the past 18 months, he has conducted himself superbly and now moves on with our gratitude."