Marcel Sabitzer Joins Man Utd – Versatile Star Leaves The Club On The Same Day

Christian Eriksen’s injury has forced Erik ten Hag to explore different avenues to plug the gap in Manchester United’s midfield.

Eriksen won’t be available for selection until April after sustaining an ankle injury during the Red Devils’ 3-1 win over Reading in the FA Cup over the weekend.

The Dane had featured in all but one of United’s 20 league games this season before his injury. As such, it certainly won’t be easy for Ten Hag to find a suitable partner for Casemiro for the second half of the season.

With Scott McTominay also sidelined for ‘weeks’ with a muscular injury, Casemiro and Fred are the only two senior midfielders fit for the League Cup semi-final second leg with Nottingham Forest.

Ahead of the tie, the Dutch coach was asked about the possibility of Lisandro Martinez playing in midfield. And Ten Hag admitted the former Ajax man is capable of moving in the middle of the park.

https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/1620599438950400000

Interestingly, Martinez isn’t the only centre-back on United’s books with experience of playing as a midfielder. Axel Tuanzebe has been deployed in midfield on numerous occasions in the past. During Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at the club, he replaced Fred in the second half against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

However, United let the versatile academy star leave the club on Tuesday. Tuanzebe moved to Stoke City on loan until the end of the campaign.

On the same day, the Premier League giants completed a deadline-day transfer of Marcel Sabitzer. The Austrian joins United on loan from Bayern Munich. There’s no option to buy the 28-year-old.

Sabitzer couldn’t replicate his RB Leipzig form in Munich, but if Ten Hag manages to help the dynamic midfielder rediscover his old spark, there won’t be any need for him to get creative and use defenders to keep United’s midfield ticking.