Marcel Sabizter thinks 'honesty' and 'mentality' will be key in Manchester United's dressing room for the remainder of the season.
After Christian Eriksen sustained an injury against Reading in the FA Cup, which meant he would be sidelined for around three months, the club moved to complete the signing of Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich before the January deadline.
Sabitzer has since made nine appearances for United. He scored his first goal for the club against Fulham at the weekend and he could stay at Old Trafford beyond this campaign, despite there being no clause in the loan deal to make it permanent.
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The player is happy to be representing United and he admitted on Sunday the 'mentality' of the dressing room has impressed him. Meanwhile, in a new interview with Inside United this week, he identified 'honesty' as another key trait to have among players.
“Yes, 100 per cent," Sabitzer said when asked about valuing honesty. "I think that’s one of the biggest things. You know, also the mentality – winning games and being on point. When you are on the pitch, giving it your all, you know, and just prove yourself.
"Be honest with the guys and live your life on the pitch. We have a lot of these guys [winners]. It’s a massive group with a good mentality. I am very happy to be in this group. Football has a lot of ups and downs. You have to be strong, mentally strong, and focused on what’s going on. It helped me a lot in difficult times."
Sabitzer also reflected on his childhood upbringing and he revealed his father, who played professional football, influenced him.
"I was born in Upper Austria, but I spent my childhood in Graz," he added. "It’s in the south, near Slovenia. I had a good time there. I started football early and really enjoyed the time. When I had the nine years [at school] done, I was out and just focused on football and then it was my main goal – to become a professional footballer. School wasn’t my big topic in my youth.
"From a very young age, I was following him [his father] in the dressing rooms, the training facilities. So I was always close to football. As I said, my dream was always becoming a professional so I had a good childhood with my father and seeing him growing as a big player in Austria. Yeah, I was enjoying it but I knew, at a very young age, I would have my own footsteps and it worked out fine."
"From very young, I was very focused on it. I was seeing my dad playing in the [Austrian] Bundesliga, and in the national team, so that was my goal – to be better than him [laughs]. I was focused on that.”
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