Borussia Dortmund midfielder and former Manchester United loanee Marcel Sabitzer has admitted that he wanted to stay at Old Trafford following the conclusion of his year-long stay.
The 29-year-old had caught the eye with a string of effervescent displays during time at RB Leipzig and earned a cut-price €15m (£13m) move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2021.
However, amid competition from Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, Ryan Gravenberch and Leon Goretzka, Sabitzer failed to make his mark at the Allianz Arena and joined Man United on loan in the final knockings of the January window.
The Red Devils struck an eleventh-hour deal for Sabitzer following a serious injury to Christian Eriksen, and the Austria international came up with three goals and one assist in 18 matches for the club.
The midfielder started seven Premier League games in 2022-23, and Bayern would have sanctioned Sabitzer's exit to Man United on a permanent basis, but the Red Devils passed up on the opportunity to keep him at the club.
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Sabitzer - who was also troubled by injuries in the second half of last season - subsequently joined Borussia Dortmund in a €20m (£17.4m) deal, as Edin Terzic's side adapted to life without Jude Bellingham.
The ex-Leipzig man has two goals and one assist to show from 11 games in a Dortmund jersey so far, and he will come up against English opposition in the shape of Newcastle United in Tuesday's Champions League tie.
Speaking to journalist Raphael Honigstein ahead of the Group F contest, Sabitzer confirmed that he would have jumped at the chance to stay at Old Trafford and admits that he feels "sorry" for his former teammates amid their tough start to the campaign.
"I feel very positive about my time at Man United, I'd have loved to stay," Sabitzer said. "You ask yourself: what's going on? I see there's a lot of noise, results not good.
"They've had defeats at home, which almost felt unthinkable last season. And there's still the unresolved situation of the ownership. I feel sorry for them because they're all good guys, and extremely hungry for success."
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Rather than convert Sabitzer's loan into a permanent deal, Man United strengthened their midfield with the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea, coughing up £55m to prise the England international away from Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old has endured a miserable start to his Red Devils career, though, only registering one assist in his opening 10 appearances and starting just four Premier League games under Erik ten Hag.
Injuries have not helped Mount either, though, while Sofyan Amrabat has not hit the ground running since his deadline-day loan move from Fiorentina, and Casemiro is facing weeks out with a thigh issue.
Ten Hag also has Donny van de Beek, Scott McTominay, Eriksen and Hannibal Mejbri to work with in midfield, but the latter's deal expires at the end of the season, while Van de Beek and McTominay were heavily linked with moves away from the club over the summer.
The Red Devils could target more midfield reinforcements in 2024 as a result and are said to be monitoring Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaire-Emery, Valencia's Javi Guerra and AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders.
Ben Knapton
