Manchester United sign Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich
Manchester United have signed Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on a loan deal lasting until the end of the 2022/23 season.
The midfielder, who becomes the first Austrian to represent the club in its history, is renowned for his versatility across the midfield and is capable of slotting in at full-back when required, as well as out wide on the wing, which will come as a relief to Reds fans who worry about the squad depth at their club.
The 28-year-old was never even linked with a move to Old Trafford for the vast majority of January, but the club hierarchy jumped on the possibility of signing Sabitzer in the final days when it was confirmed that Christian Eriksen is injured until at least the end of April; with Donny van de Beek out for the season, it meant that Erik ten Hag only had Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Casemiro and Scott McTominay at his disposal in the middle.
Considering Ten Hag operates with a three-man midfield, the club simply had to bring somebody in.
The January signing told club media: “Sometimes in life you have to make quick and important decisions. From the moment I heard about this opportunity, I knew it was right for me. I am a competitive player; I want to win and help the club achieve its aims this season.
“I feel that I am at my peak as a player, and that I can contribute a lot of experience and energy to this squad. I am excited to start with my new team-mates and manager and show my qualities to Manchester United fans”.
There appears to be mixed emotions in the fanbase surrounding the former RB Leipzig captain’s arrival in Manchester. Whilst some are pessimistic that the club have only signed somebody due to an injury and think it is another case of poor planning and panic from the likes of John Murtough and Richard Arnold, others are simply just relieved that somebody has come in to provide depth to a threadbare midfield.
Regardless of opinions, there are some established facts to be positive about in relation to Sabitzer. The new man comes in at 28 years of age and can offer good experience to some of the younger players, which whilst being a cliché, fans cannot turn their noses up at given the lack of leadership on the pitch post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
Furthermore, his playing style complements what Ten Hag likes in a midfielder. He is reminiscent of Eriksen in his quality of passing, dead ball specialism and eye for the goal, but also offers something that fans feel Eriksen lacks in relation to his tenacity, combativeness and stamina. It is important not to overly hype him up, though it could be said that he has the best qualities of both Eriksen and Fred.
Finally and probably most importantly, Sabitzer can operate across any of those midfield positions. It looks like the manager is planning on using McTominay as a back-up to Casemiro for the remainder of the season, but the loanee can drop in there at holding midfield if need be.
He is able to provide cover for Fernandes in attacking midfield too, but that would probably be the weaker of the three roles for him. Most obviously, himself and Fred appear to be the options in central midfield until Eriksen comes back.
What should be pointed out, however, is that The Reds are another bad injury away from catastrophe in the middle of the park. McTominay is currently not fit, so without him, the next in line to start is 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.
Whether or not Sabitzer will stay beyond the end of the campaign is a guessing game, but he will certainly be an asset to the only English club who are competing in four competitions here and now.
Welcome to Manchester United, Marcel Sabitzer, and good luck for the remainder of the campaign.
