football
Manchester United will have to do without ÖFB legionnaire Marcel Sabitzer at the end of the season due to injury. The midfielder is out for the remaining three league games due to a damaged meniscus. The 29-year-old will also miss the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3, the club announced on Monday evening.
Sabitzer missed Saturday’s 2-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a knee problem after coming on as a substitute in the previous game against West Ham United (lost 1-0 away).
The 69-time ÖFB international was loaned out by Bayern Munich in January and scored three goals in 18 competitive games for the “Red Devils”. He scored a goal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup against Fulham and in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League in the round of 16 against Sevilla, Sabitzer even shone with a brace.
‘Played an important role’ at United
“Marcel has played an important role in the second half of our 2022/23 season,” Manchester United said. “Everyone at the club is disappointed to lose Marcel’s services.” Manchester are aiming for a Champions League spot with a strong finish to the Premier League season and aiming for the FA Cup title. “We are grateful for his contribution to our progress so far,” said the club and wished the Austrian “all the best and a speedy recovery”.
The loan deal with Bayern ends in the summer. It wasn’t clear if the injury would play a role in United’s decision to try and sign him permanently. In recent weeks, Sabitzer has often indicated that he would like to stay in Manchester. However, Bayern want to collect at least 20 million euros for the 29-year-old.
It also remains unclear whether Sabitzer will still be ready for the international matches in June. The ÖFB selection meets Belgium in the European Championship qualifier on June 17th in Brussels and Sweden on June 20th in Vienna.