Marcel Sabitzer only joined Manchester United because of an injury to Christian Eriksen, but even with the latter back in action it feels like the Bayern Munich loanee will be a big miss for the final four games of this season.
Sabitzer’s season is over after sustaining a knee injury and his absence from the squad revealed the paucity of options in the middle for Erik ten Hag against Wolves. With Scott McTominay also out, Fred was the only midfielder available from the bench.
The 30-year-old is a reliable option, but is a class below the starting duo of Casemiro and Eriksen. Only Bruno Fernandes, David de Gea and Marcus Rashford have played more games than Fred’s 52 this season, but only 21 of those have been starts.
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McTominay is due back soon and will play a part in the final three Premier League games of the season and the FA Cup final against Manchester City, but he is another who is a squad player at best. There is a drop in quality that is probably too big when he replaces Casemiro.
There’s another United midfielder on the injury list still. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the attention in the directors’ box on Saturday, but Donny van de Beek was also present as he recovers from a serious knee injury. The Dutchman is the forgotten piece of the puzzle in this midfield, but he’s never really taken his chances and could leave this summer.
The reality is that if any of the midfield three of Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes were unavailable, it would cause Ten Hag a problem. Fred could come in, but his greatest attribute is probably his energy rather than his quality on the ball.
It’s also no longer just a case of one of that trio being out of action. Fernandes is in fine form, but Casemiro and Eriksen are both in their worst period for United. Casemiro hasn’t been the same player since returning from his latest suspension and Eriksen is yet to return to the standards he set early in the season, which is perhaps understandable after three months out.
But the pair are both 31 and there are going to be times when they need a rest or their form drops off. At the moment, Ten Hag doesn’t have the quality of backup to compensate for that.
United’s recent struggles to control games and kill off opponents is partly a result of the issues in midfield. They aren’t moving the ball as well as they had been doing in the first half of the season and if changes were readily available for Ten Hag, then he would surely make some.
Casemiro has started nine games in a row since returning from suspension and Eriksen has started seven of eight since getting back into the team following his ankle injury. The game he didn’t start, the 1-0 defeat at Brighton, saw Fred come on, but nothing really changed.
Even on current form, that midfield combination should have enough to help United secure two wins from their final three league games against Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham, but the real challenge will come in the FA Cup final.
Manchester City are in the best form they’ve been in all season. Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne have all hit their stride in recent weeks. Bernardo Silva can come in to supplement that trio. That’s the very definition of having a fourth option that doesn’t weaken the quality of the performance.
If Casemiro and Eriksen remain in a slump at Wembley then it could be a long afternoon for United. They need to be competitive and on their A-games to have any chance of halting Pep Guardiola’s side.
Beyond that, Ten Hag really needs to try and strengthen his midfield. Signing Sabitzer on a permanent deal might be a cheap option, but what this squad really needs in central areas are some younger legs. Adding Sabitzer will mean United have five midfielders over the age of 29 come next season.
The ideal addition would be a midfielder under 25, someone who can step in for Eriksen and Casemiro and ensure the quality remains high. Achieving that will be difficult in a summer when a striker is a top priority and the budget will only stretch so far won’t be easy, but United need to be creative.
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