Manchester United have been on the receiving end of Marcel Sabitzer‘s abilities.
Needing simply to avoid defeat away to RB Leipzig to make the Champions League last-16 in 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s team contrived to lose 3-2 to opponents they’d thumped 5-0 a few weeks earlier.
In just the second minute, United’s back-line was completely caught out when Leipzig captain Sabitzer played a skilful, arcing ball across their box that Manchester City loanee Angelino thumped home at the back post.
Marcel Sabitzer (centre) set up RB Leipzig’s opening goal for Angelino when they beat Manchester United 3-2 in the 2020-21 Champions League group stage
Man United coach Erik ten Hag moved for another midfielder after Christian Eriksen’s injury
Eriksen will be out until late April at the earliest following Andy Carroll’s horrendous tackle
Less than two hours later, they’d crashed into the Europa League.
Now, Sabitzer will become an important part of Erik ten Hag’s plans as United chase success on four fronts in the remaining months of the season.
Given the intensity of their fixture list – starting against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, United play nine games in 29 days – it was essential to bring someone in after Christian Eriksen’s injury left a gaping midfield hole.
It’s possible that Austria international midfielder Sabitzer, who signed on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day and was in the stands for United’s Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Wednesday, offers an upgrade on the Dane even if their skillsets are slightly different.
Upon signing for United, Sabitzer said that ‘sometimes in life you have to make quick and important decisions’ – but this would have been an easy one.
Sabitzer, 28, had become frustrated at a shortage of game time at Bayern since Julian Nagelsmann, his coach at Leipzig, took him to the Allianz Arena with him in the summer of 2021.
Sabitzer was in the stands at Old Trafford to watch his new team as they took on Nottingham Forest
Sabitzer followed his Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich in 2021, but has been frustrated by a shortage of game time
Nagelsmann has used the Austrian midfielder sparingly amid strong competition for places
The ironic thing about that was Sabitzer, a Bayern fan as a kid, had a trial at the club aged 14 but was, according to then head of academy…