Bruno Fernandes has endorsed Manchester United’s signing of Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich and is excited by the impact he will have on the team.
With Christian Eriksen's ankle injury set to rule him out for three months after the Danish midfielder limped out of Saturday's 3-1 win against Reading, United were compelled to strengthen their midfield. Sabitzer was signed on loan from Bayern Munich after a last-minute transfer deadline day dash.
United opted to sign Sabitzer on loan after turning down opportunities to sign four other players – including Atletico Madrid duo Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco, with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag explaining his long-held admiration for the Austrian.
The 28-year-old will now add depth to United’s squad and will be competing for a starting spot alongside the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay in a first-choice midfield alongside Casemiro, with hopes that Eriksen will return for the closing month of the season.
The addition of Sabitzer means that the role of Fernandes is unlikely to change in Ten Hag’s team and he will likely continue in a role higher up the pitch. And he is fully aware of Sabitzer's quality with his reaction a ringing endorsement of the addition made late in the window.
He has said of the Austrian’s arrival: "We're really happy to have him, we think he can help us. Tomorrow I'll be with him, I'll talk a little bit with him and see. I think he's fully fit, he's been playing, so hopefully he'll help us a lot.
"He can shoot from outside of the box, he can score great goals. He'll give us more options in the midfield while Christian [Eriksen] is injured. He's another one who'll make it difficult for everyone in the team to have a place."
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Fernandes added: "He knows he has to push himself to the highest level to be playing for us now and everyone that is starting today - for example me, Casemiro and Fred. We know it costs a lot to have a place in the team and we have another one fighting for that position so we have to give our best."
Sabitzer, who has won 68 senior caps for his country, is an experienced campaigner. He has played more than 400 senior games at club level in Austria and Germany. He was a key part of the RB Leipzig side that won promotion to the Bundesliga in May 2016.
Sabitzer joined Bayern from Leipzig in the summer of 2021 and won the Bundesliga title last season. He was named in both the Champions League's Squad of the Season and the Bundesliga's Team of the Season during the 2019/20 campaign.
