Manchester United Director of Football John Murtough reveals two key factors behind the signing of Marcel Sabitzer
Manchester Evening News has been given insight by Manchester United football director John Murtough into two reasons why the club moved for Marcel Sabitzer on the transfer deadline day.
Murtough, who oversees recruitment, for the club, attributes the profile and experience of the Austrian midfielder which were the main factors behind the move.
“Marcel is a player that we have watched for a long time. The opportunity arose quickly, and we knew that he was someone with the ability and character to make an impact.
He adds further quality to our squad and experience to the dressing room, and all of us are pleased to be welcoming him to Manchester United.”
The long-term injury sustained by Cristian Eriksen left a serious disappointment among many club supporters due to the importance of the midfielder plus the lack of numbers in midfield for the second half of the season.
Erik ten Hag has done wonders since taking over as the manager but one does need quality players to get the desired results and Eriksen, who has featured more than any United player this season, was certainly going to be a huge miss.
Hence, it was essential that we look for a profile to be added to midfield and the rumours surrounding Sabitzer started circling around the first half of the day.
Towards the end, the recruitment team deserves credit for going so smoothly over the operation and bringing in a profile which does resemble Eriksen’s role.
Sabitzer is a proper no. 8 and although his spell with FC Bayern Munich has not reaped the best rewards, he is still a high-quality player and was one of the best in the German league during his time with RB Leipzig.
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He would bring another astute option to Ten Hag and rather suits the Dutch’s system really well. Even with less playing time, he has made 24 appearances for Bayern this season and would be ready to be thrown straight into the action.
A Casemiro-Sabitzer pivot is pretty strong on paper and if the Austrian is able to recapture his Leipzig form, then he could prove to be a very shrewd addition to the squad for the second half of the season and play a big role in our fight for a top-four finish.
