Pundit advises Man Utd to delay transfer decision on midfield maestro; available for £18m this summer

Manchester United have been urged by pundit Stan Collymore not to rush into signing Marcel Sabitzer permanently at the end of the season.

Erik Ten Hag brought the midfielder in on loan from Bayern Munich in January as a temporary replacement for currently injured Christian Eriksen and he has made four solid appearances so far.

Sabitzer has fallen out of favour with Bayern manager Julian Nagelasmann, so he would most likely like to pen a permanent contract at Old Trafford.

Indeed, the midfielder has already declared that he is keeping his options open, with the prospect of a permanent switch looking likely if he can keep up his current form.

Filling in for Eriksen is definitely not an easy task either, as he has been a key player for the Red Devils this season, but so far, Sabitzer has played well.

Operating from defensive midfield, the Austria international has so far averaged 2.3 successful tackles per game and 1.3 interceptions, with a pass success rate of 82.2%.

Sabitzer has played his part in victories over Crystal Palace, Leeds and Leicester and United remains undefeated when he has been on the pitch.

United can reportedly make his stay at Old Trafford permanent for a cut-price fee of just £18m, so he could represent a solid, relatively cheap addition if he continues to impress Ten Hag.

Collymore: United should avoid ‘knee-jerk decisions’

However, as mentioned, Collymore has urged United to be patient and not commit to signing Sabitzer permanently too early, as they have not yet had the chance to gauge what his impact on the squad will be.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Collymore said: “He’s played a handful of games for United and he’s improving.”

“Sabitzer will know that Bayern Munich are probably looking to sell him so doing well at United may be his last chance to impress at a top, top club.

“For that reason, I think United would prefer to see how he does for the remainder of the season before making any knee-jerk decisions on whether or not they want to keep him.

“That’s testimony to how much the club has changed recently because not too many seasons ago, we’d have probably seen them already trying to wrap a deal up.

“Now it’s a case of them being a lot more stable and having a long-term plan, so credit to Erik Ten Hag for implementing that change of philosophy so quickly.”

As mentioned, Sabitzer will be available for approximately £18m in the summer, so others will be interested in his signature if the Red Devils do opt against bringing him in.

But, with Casemiro already 30 and Eriksen 31, it may be wise for them to sign Sabitzer to provide cover next season, even if Collymore thinks making a move now would be too hasty.

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