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Marcel Sabitzer admits that he wanted to stay at Old Trafford after his year-long loan ended.
The 29-year-old attracted attention at RB Leipzig with a series of lively performances. As a result, it led to a €15 million (£13 million) transfer to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2021 for Sabitzer.
Sabitzer, who faced competition from Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, Ryan Gravenberch, and Leon Goretzka, failed to make an impression at the Allianz Arena and joined Manchester United on loan in the final days of the January transfer window.
Following Christian Eriksen’s serious injury, the Red Devils made an 11th-hour deal for Sabitzer, who scored three goals and assisted once in 18 games for the club.
The midfielder started seven Premier League games in 2022-23, and Bayern would have sanctioned Sabitzer’s permanent transfer to Manchester United if the Red Devils had taken advantage of the opportunity.
Marcel Sabitzer, who was also plagued by injuries in the second half of last season, later joined Borussia Dortmund for €20 million (£17.4 million) as Edin Terzic’s side adjusted to life without Jude Bellingham.
The ex-Leipzig man has two goals and one assist in 11 games for Dortmund so far, and he will face English opposition in Newcastle United in Tuesday’s Champions League tie.
Marcel Sabitzer desired to stay with Manchester United
In an interview with journalist Raphael Honigstein ahead of the Group F match, Sabitzer confirmed that he would have jumped at the chance to stay at Old Trafford and admits that he is “sorry” for his former teammates’ difficult start to the season.
“I feel very positive about my time at Man United, I’d have loved to stay,” he said. “You wonder, ‘What’s going on?'” I see a lot of noise, with poor results.
“They’ve suffered defeats at home, which seemed unthinkable last season.” And then there’s the unresolved issue of ownership. I feel bad for them because they’re all good people who want to succeed.”
Rather than converting Sabitzer’s loan into a permanent deal, Manchester United bolstered their midfield by signing Mason Mount from Chelsea, forking over £55 million to lure the England international away from Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old has had a difficult start to his Red Devils career. He had only one assist in his first ten appearances and only four Premier League starts under Erik ten Hag.
Injuries haven’t helped Mount either, as Sofyan Amrabat hasn’t hit the ground running since his last-minute loan move from Fiorentina, and Casemiro is out for several weeks with a thigh injury.
In midfield, Ten Hag has Donny van de Beek, Scott McTominay, Eriksen, and Hannibal Mejbri to work with, but the latter’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Van de Beek and McTominay were heavily linked with moves away from the club over the summer.
As a result, the Red Devils are said to be keeping an eye on PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery, Valencia’s Javi Guerra. On the other hand, Man Utd are also keeping eye over AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders for midfield reinforcements in 2024.
