Marcel Sabitzer in talks to join Manchester United on loan
Manchester United are close to signing Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich. The 28 year-old has flown to Manchester and is currently undertaking a medical. Sources have told ESPN that United is confident the deal will be agreed upon before the window slams shut.
United desperately needed midfield reinforcements after receiving news that Christian Eriksen will be out for the next three months after picking up an injury against Reading in the FA Cup. Furthermore, Scott McTominay has picked up a knock, leaving United with only two fit midfielders for the next few games.
Sabitzer will mostly likely start regularly and provide further depth in a position that has plagued the Red Devils in recent years.
Sabitzer played for RB Leipzig for six years, scoring 50 goals across all competitions. He was named in the Champions League Squad of the season in 2019/20 as Leipzig made the semi-finals.
He joined Munich in August 2021 and has made 40 Bundesliga appearances since then, scoring two goals.
Sabitzer has struggled to dislodge Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich as the two midfielders starters the past few seasons, and most of his 15 Bundesliga appearances have been off the bench. He has only played 628 minutes this season in the league, and it’s clear he doesn’t fit into Bayern’s long-term plans.
He still is, however, a fantastic player who will provide a short-term solution to a problem that will need a long-term answer in the summer.
What does Sabitzer bring to Manchester United
Manchester United had long struggled to find a midfield player who could handle first-phase responsibilities and progress the ball. Frenkie de Jong was supposed to be that player but he decided to stay at Barcelona.
Eriksen moved from attacking midfield to a more deep-lying role when he joined United in July 2022 and thrived when tasked with handling their build-up play. He can control the tempo of a game and find line-splitting passes. There is no other player in United’s squad who can do that.
Sabitzer can operate in that role. He can progress the ball well and is more athletic than Eriksen, something that United struggled with against Arsenal. Eriksen would regularly get stuck one-on-one against Saka and generally struggled to handle the physicality of the Gunners.
Coming from the Red Bull school of football, Sabitzer can press well and will offer more in that department than Eriksen. He also is an excellent ball striker, possessing a fierce long shot, and is another option in dead-ball situations.
Sabitzer was the heartbeat of a good Leipzig team that regularly finished top three in the Bundesliga and nearly reached the final of the Champions League. This fills United’s biggest hole and should be a successful signing.
