Marcel Sabitzer likes to play football in England over Germany because of the blend of fun and discipline that Erik ten Hag brings to Manchester United.
Sabitzer, a loanee from Bayern Munich, was bought on January transfer deadline day owing to Christian Eriksen’s persistent injury and has gone onto to score three goals and assist in 14 games, including a League Cup victory in February.
Two of those goals occurred in the Europa League first leg quarter-final versus Sevilla, which United went on to lose 5-2 on aggregate after falling 3-0 in Spain on Thursday night. Sabitzer played the game in place of the banned Bruno Fernandes, but he might be benched when he returns in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton on Sunday.
His future at Bayern Munich is uncertain beyond the end of the season, with Thomas Tuchel taking over following the firing of Julian Nagelsmann, under which Sabitzer played just seven Bundesliga matches prior to his move to Old Trafford.
Sabitzer is expected to be a bit-part player now that Eriksen has returned to action, with Fernandes and Casemiro rounding out the first-choice midfield trio. However, having been in the same scenario at Munich, he believes he enjoys the competition for game time.
Sabitzer acknowledged a difference between the English and German games, stating, “It’s different.” The league’s style and approach. Before deciding on a move for Sabitzer, United turned down many other offers to add players. Atletico Madrid pair Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco are said to have been offered to the club, along with Lyon star Houssem Aouar as well Isco.
However, none of these ideas were acceptable to the United Nations chiefs. Daichi Kamada of Eintracht Frankfurt, who is ending his contract in the summer, was also on the party’s radar, but the desire was for a short-term addition for the balance of the season before re-evaluating the roster in the summer.
Sabitzer is highly adaptive and must be very fit. The thought of playing only one position did not appeal to Marcel. He has played in ten different positions throughout his career, including right-winger, central midfielder, left-winger, second striker, center-forward, right midfield, offensive midfield, and defensive midfield, as well as three games at left-back and one at right-back.
And, with the exception of full-back, he’s played all of these roles several times, totaling double digits in goals and assists. However, he has played more on the right flank than any other position, scoring 28 goals and assisting 30 times in 135 games.
He is an amazing example of what was once known as a utility player, which is unique in today’s game, which, at least at the highest levels, is all about specialists. Even more uncommon is that he isn’t just a make-do alternative in all of those positions; he’s actually good in all of them, as his numbers show.
