Manchester United’s midfield problems could be set to grow after it was confirmed that Marcel Sabitzer is contending with a knee problem.
Erik ten Hag has already had his options in the middle of the pitch depleted, with Donny van de Beek out for the rest of the season and Christian Eriksen not yet back in team training as he recovers from an ankle injury that has kept him on the sidelines since January.
Casemiro is also unavailable to Ten Hag after his red card against Southampton, his second of the season and one that has brought a four-match suspension.
Sabitzer starred for Austria last week with two goals and an assist against Azerbaijan, but Ralf Rangnick, the former interim United boss now in charge of the Austrian national side, confirmed that the midfielder does have an issue.
“In the end, it is a question of pain and pain tolerance for both Marcel and Gernot [Trauner],” Rangnick said in an update on team news. “Of course, we hope that Marcel will do well, especially after that first game.
“At the moment, I’m optimistic that it can work but, at the end of the day, it’s also a question of whether Marcel feels ready for it himself. At the moment, I am assuming he’ll play.
“It made more sense to leave them out [of the session] again, just to give them one more day. But there are enough other candidates.”
Sabitzer scored his first goal for United just before the international break, putting his side ahead in a dramatic FA Cup clash against Fulham, and Rangnick believes the 29-year-old has benefitted from his move from Bayern Munich to the Premier League.
“Sabi’s performance was outstanding,” he told Laola 1.
“You can’t say it any other way. He is simply a player with a lot of quality. I think the change did him good. He is literally flourishing, which is very, very good. He has a lot more confidence than when he was at Bayern Munich.”
