Sabitzer proves Man Utd were WRONG to reject permanent transfer

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 16 Apr 2024 22:18 BST
• 3 min read

Marcel Sabitzer was a reliable performer during his six-month loan spell at Manchester United in the 2022-23 season, but the Red Devils opted against signing him on a permanent deal last summer.

Instead, Man Utd decided to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, while Austria international Sabitzer joined Borussia Dortmund.

Since moving to the Signal Iduna Park, Sabitzer has been excellent. He has been a regular in central midfield and his performance in their Champions League quarter-final second-leg win over Atletico Madrid was sublime.

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Dortmund trailed 2-1 after the first-leg, but a 4-2 second-leg win sealed their place in the semi-finals, where an intriguing tie against Paris Saint-Germain awaits them.

On the night, Sabitzer was on another planet. He scored the fourth goal to put Dortmund 5-4 up on aggregate, and he also provided two assists - one for Ian Maatsen and one for Niclas Fullkrug.

His first assist was a lovely backheel into Maatsen’s path, while his second was a perfectly-weighted cross for Fullkrug to head home. Then, Sabitzer scored the winner of the tie.

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For his goal, the Austrian shifted the ball onto his left-foot on the edge of the box and unleashed a fierce drive into the bottom corner, with Jan Oblak unable to keep it out.

It capped a fabulous performance in which he bossed the midfield battle against Atletico.

Should Man Utd have signed Marcel Sabitzer?

A box-to-box number eight, Sabitzer worked in a midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro at Man Utd last campaign - something Mount has been unable to do even when fit this season.

The ex-Chelsea man is still a classy operator, and his technical prowess was on full show during recent cameos against Brentford and Chelsea, but he and Fernandes aren’t suited to playing in the same midfield.

Current ETV

Mason Mount

AM (C)

Manchester United

Mason Mount

AM (C)

Manchester United

€52.2M

ETV Range

€39.2M - €65.3M

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Sabitzer, on the other hand, worked well with the Portuguese international and could’ve been an astute permanent signing last summer. Borussia Dortmund paid a measly €19 million to sign Sabitzer from Bayern Munich in 2023, while Man Utd spent €64.2m on Mount, despite the fact he only had one year left on his Chelsea contract at the time.

Not only would Sabitzer have cost far less than Mount, he also would’ve been a more suitable pick-up considering the current personnel at Erik ten Hag’s disposal.