Manchester United's newest signing Marcel Sabitzer has admitted he knew the move was "right" for him straight away.
The Austria international midfielder has joined United on loan from Bayern Munich, with the deal only officially confirmed by the Old Trafford club shortly after midnight. The Premier League club were forced into action after losing Christian Eriksen to injury, with the Danish international not expected back until April at the earliest.
Sabitzer had joined Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig in 2021, playing 25 times in last season's Bundesliga win. He has mostly been used as a substitute this season, though, allowing Erik ten Hag's side to pounce.
“Sometimes in life you have to make quick and important decisions," Sabitzer told club media after completing his move. "From the moment I heard about this opportunity I knew it was right for me. I am a competitive player; I want to win and help the club achieve its aims this season.
“I feel that I am at my peak as a player, and that I can contribute a lot of experience and energy to the squad. I am excited to start with my new team-mates and manager and to show my qualities to Manchester United fans.”
Sabitzer, 28, arrives with hundreds of top-flight games under his belt in Austria and Germany. The midfielder also has 68 caps and 12 goals for the Austrian national team, playing every minute at Euro 2020 as his country reached the last 16.
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Before the move was made official, Man Utd boss Ten Hag had spoken of his belief that Fred could step up to help deal with the issues left by Eriksen's injury. Summer signing Eriksen suffered the setback against Reading in the FA Cup over the weekend, and the ankle injury could even leave him unavailable until May in the worst-case scenario.
“I think you can never fill that gap [left by Eriksen], because every player has his own characteristics and identity," Ten Hag said. "Another player will always fill it in in a different way, but that doesn't mean you have to be less successful.
“It’s quite clear Christian brings top quality to our squad and especially he has some specifics that are hard to replace - for instance, his impact in the final third with his final ball.”
Fred is expected to partner his Brazil international team-mate Casemiro at Old Trafford on Wednesday night as Man Utd take on Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. A 3-0 win at the City Ground in the first leg leaves the hosts as strong favourites to book their place in the final against Newcastle United.
