Man Utd ‘Should Have Signed’ Marcel Sabitzer Permanently

Highlights

Marcel Sabitzer made a positive impact at United, helping them win the Carabao Cup and secure a top four place.
Alex Crook suggests Manchester United should have signed Sabitzer permanently after his loan move.
Sabitzer’s performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League proved he could fare better than United’s current midfield options.

Marcel Sabitzer’s loan spell at Manchester United last season will be looked upon fondly as the Austrian helped the Red Devils win the Carabao Cup and finish in the top four in his short loan spell at Old Trafford – and having excelled in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, journalist Alex Crook believes that the club should have done more to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

Sabitzer, who is now a teammate of Jadon Sancho, who United also allowed to depart, spent his youth years in the Austrian Bundesliga before he got his big move to RB Leipzig at the age of 20; and after seven superb seasons at the Red Bull Arena, he made the switch to Bundesliga great Bayern Munich. However, Sabitzer failed to break the mould in Bavaria, ending up on loan at United last season in the process. Sabitzer made a decent contribution as they achieved a top-four place at the end of the season, but a muscle injury towards the end of his time at Old Trafford saw the loan spell end abruptly.

And with the tireless midfielder putting in the hard yards for Dortmund against PSG on Europe’s elite stage, Crook believes that more could have been made of United signing him on a permanent deal in the summer to bolster their ranks.

Crook: “Sabitzer Should Have Been Signed Permanently”

Sabitzer was an astute addition by Manchester United last season

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Crook claimed that even a 15-minute cameo where he took in Sabitzer’s performance against the French champions was enough to convince him that Sabitzer should’ve been signed by United chiefs – especially with their midfield options last summer failing to show any promise on the pitch. He said:

“I quite liked Sabitzer as an
#MUFC
player. And watching him for 15 minutes tonight makes me think even more that he should have been signed permanently. Hard to argue he does not improve the midfield IMO.”

United only boast Scott McTominay who can influence the game with a knack for scoring goals in the final third, something that Sabitzer became synonymous with at Salzburg and Leipzig – and a lack of goals this season has been a real issue for the club.

Marcel Sabitzer Could Have Impacted Man Utd’s Fortunes

A missed chance to sign Sabitzer could be a mistake by United

Sabitzer’s best performance in the Champions League to date was against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final second leg. A goal and two assists on his behalf meant that Dortmund progressed through to the semis against a typically sturdy Atletico side, their first semi-final since they were runners-up in 2012-13 – and the Austrian playing a big part in their recent success means that United may well have missed the boat.

Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Casemiro have been nowhere near their best all season due to injury and form woes, Christian Eriksen looks to be declining due to his lack of physical edge and if not for the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo in central midfield, the Red Devils would almost certainly be worse off than they are at present in seventh.

Sabitzer would have been a sensible signing for a side that needs Champions League experience, and with that in abundance given his 36 appearances on Europe’s top stage prior to this season, the missed chance to make a move for his services could be one of Erik ten Hag’s biggest blunders yet.