Austria manager Ralf Rangnick made the decision not to risk Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer during his side's 2-1 win over Estonia in their latest European Championship qualifier on Monday evening.
The former United boss, who left Old Trafford last May, announced that the Reds loanee was suffering from a knee injury following Friday night's 4-1 win over Azerbaijan, in which he scored twice and grabbed an assist. Rangnick confirmed that Sabitzer was continuing to play on with the problem and that it needed to be managed.
Sabitzer was named on the bench on Monday evening and was not called upon by his manager, despite Austria having to come from behind to seal all three points in the second half. They sealed the victory in the 88th minute, courtesy of a late winner from Michael Gregoritsch.
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Addressing Sabitzer's injury concern ahead of the game, Rangnick said: "In the end, it is a question of pain and pain tolerance for Marcel. But, at the end of the day, it's also a question of whether Marcel feels ready for it himself."
Having not been risked against Estonia, seemingly not to aggravate the problem further, United will be hoping he will be available for Sunday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United. The Reds are already short on numbers in midfield because of Christian Eriksen's injury and Casemiro's suspension.
Elsewhere in the European Championship qualifiers, Anthony Elanga stepped off the bench to make an immediate impact in Sweden's 5-0 win over Azerbaijan in Stockholm, scoring just two minutes after his introduction. He stepped off the bench with 87 minutes on the clock to replace Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres and scored Sweden's fifth and final goal of the night just two minutes later to wrap up their first win of their qualifying campaign.
Fellow United ace Victor Lindelof also featured, starting and playing the full 90 minutes of the contest. He also donned the captain's armband once again as Sweden bounced back from Friday night's 3-0 defeat to Belgium with ease.
Meanwhile, Wout Weghorst started for the Netherlands as they responded to Friday night's 4-0 defeat to France with a comfortable 3-0 home win over international minnows Gibraltar. On an evening that saw Manchester City defender Nathan Ake score an unlikely brace, Weghorst played the full 90 minutes as Ronald Koeman's side chalked up a whopping 51 shots, only 12 of which were on target.
Former United man Memphis Depay got the Netherlands' other goal, meaning there was no joy for Weghorst. Fellow Reds ace Tyrell Malacia also featured, stepping off the bench for the second game running with 77 minutes on the clock.
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