Marcel Sabitzer has admitted he would be open to extending his stay at Manchester United beyond the expiry of his loan this summer.
The midfielder moved to Old Trafford on loan from Bayern Munich late in the January transfer window after news of Christian Eriksen’s long-term absence became public, inking a six-month deal which does not include an option to make the move permanent.
It means United would have to negotiate a traditional transfer with Bayern if they wanted to make Sabitzer’s stay permanent.
Asked whether he would be interested in remaining at Old Trafford, the Austria international said: “It’s a loan at the moment, that’s all I can say.
“I like it here. I’m feeling very good here. I like the team, I like the club, the atmosphere in Old Trafford. We will see what happens in the summer.
“It’s been a busy few days. I had to come in quick but I enjoy it. I like it so far. The team welcome me very well. It was a bit of a cold start but I had to step in quick because of the Casemiro suspension. I’m ready for that and happy playing.
“You can feel it. From the first moment on, I felt very good in the team – good spirit, good goals, we’re a good team. It’s fun.
“The manager talking to me a lot, what he’s expecting from me. I try to fulfil that. I’m feeling good with him and his tactics and I like it so far.”
Casemiro’s suspension, coupled with injuries to Eriksen and Donny van de Beek, have left Erik ten Hag with little option but to rely on Sabitzer so far, starting the Austrian in two of his three Premier League outings – both games against Leeds United.
“Leeds away, as United, it’s a big game,” Sabitzer added. “You have to win this game. We were ready for that, the intensity was good, we were good in the game. We missed a bit on Wednesday so we wanted to do it better, we did that.
“We knew before it would be two tough games. In the Premier League, you have a lot of transition, you have to keep focused until the end. We did that quite well, we gave them no chance.”
