He graduated from the youth sides at Everton, and during his playing career his clubs included Bradford City, Crewe Alexandra, Bury, Fleetwood Town, Stevenage and Southport.
Born in Liverpool, Schumacher attended Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School[1] and began his career at Everton after starting out in apprenticeship there[2] and was captain of the England Under 19s while he was playing in the club's youth team.
[6] Schumacher spent three months on loan at Carlisle United, where he made four appearances and scored his first career goal against Huddersfield Town in the Football League Trophy.
[16] Schumacher made his Bradford City debut, where he played 90 minutes, in a 2–1 loss against Hartlepool United in the opening game of the season.
[18] Since making his Bradford City debut, Schumacher has accrued a reputation as a fiercely competitive midfielder, equally adept in a holding or attacking role.
[35] After Bradford City's relegation to League Two, Schumacher made forty-four appearances, having missed two games, due to suspension.
[39] Schumacher made his Crewe Alexandra debut in the opening game of the season, playing 90 minutes, in a 2–1 win against Brighton Hove & Albion.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, Schumacher's first team opportunity soon become restricted, as he found his playing time, coming from the substitute bench.
[45] Schumacher scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against Macclesfield Town in the first round of the Football League Trophy.
[47] On 21 February 2009 Schumacher made his first team return for Crewe Alexandra, coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute in a 3–1 win over Huddersfield Town.
[60] After serving a one match suspension, Schumacher returned to the starting line–up against Cheltenham Town on 25 September 2010 and helped the club win 2–0.
[66] After serving a two match suspension, he returned to the first team, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1–0 win against Burton Albion on 12 April 2011.
[70] After appearing in the opening game of the 2011–12 season, Schumacher, however, tore his calf muscle during a match against Coventry City in the first round of the League Cup and was substituted in the 31st minute, as Bury won 3–1.
[82] Since returning from suspension, Schumacher regained his first team place for Bury, playing in either the centre–midfield and attacking midfield positions.
[94] His move to Fleetwood Town led to Kevin Blackwell's disappointment, who blamed the club's owner for Schumacher's departure.
[95] Schumacher made his debut for the club, in the opening game of the season, playing 70 minutes, in a 3–1 win over Dagenham & Redbridge.
[100] His performance throughout November earned him the Sky Bet League 2 Player of the Month Award, but lost out to Zavon Hines.
[102] After spending a month on the substitute bench following an injury, Schumacher returned to the starting line–up against Southend United on 26 April 2014, scoring his fifth goal of the season, a 1–1 draw.
[104] Despite suffering further setbacks in his first season at Fleetwood Town, Schumacher's first team place was restricted thirty-two appearances and scoring five times in all competitions, due to being on the substitute bench.
[107] Schumacher then provided assist from a corner to lead to Stephen Jordan in early minutes in a 3–2 loss against Preston North End on 25 October 2014.
[119] Two weeks later on 7 November 2015, Schumacher scored his second goal for Stevenage, in a 3–0 win over Gillingham in the first round of FA Cup.
[124] On 4 October, he returned to the starting line–up against Brighton & Hove Albion U23 in the EFL Trophy, and played 61 minutes before being substituted, as Stevenage lost 4–3 in the penalty shootout following a 2–2 draw.
[137] He made his Southport debut in the opening game of the season against Boston United and scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–0 win.
[142] At the end of the 2018–19 season, Schumacher's contributions helped Bury gain promotion back to League One despite the financial turmoil surrounding the club, a winding-up petition pending and players and staff being paid late or not at all.
[148] Together with Lowe, Schumacher's contributions helped Plymouth Argyle to a third-place finish and an immediate return to League One in a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
[149] On 7 December 2021, following the departure of Lowe in order to take a job at Preston North End, Schumacher was swiftly appointed manager of Plymouth Argyle.
[150] In just his tenth match as a manager, Schumacher took charge of Argyle as they narrowly lost 2–1 in extra time in the FA Cup fourth round to reigning European Champions Chelsea.
[159] A week later, Plymouth secured the League One title on the final day of the season with a 3–1 victory away at Port Vale, winning 101 points in total.
[162] On 19 December 2023, Schumacher was appointed head coach at Championship club Stoke City on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
[165][166] On 30 January 2025, Schumacher was appointed head coach of League One club Bolton Wanderers on a three-and-a-half year contract.