Man Utd star Marcel Sabitzer misses training with knee injury in worrying news for Erik ten Hag

Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is struggling with a knee injury, Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick has confirmed.

Sabitzer scored twice and provided an assist to help Austria beat Azerbaijan 4-1 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday.

He was later forced off after picking up a knock and former United manager Rangnick has now confirmed Sabitzer is a doubt for Monday's qualifier against Estonia after the midfielder missed training along with defender Gernot Trauner.

"In the end, it is a question of pain and pain tolerance for both Marcel and Gernot," Rangnick told Laola 1.

"Of course, we hope that Marcel will do well, especially after that first game in Linz. At the moment, I'm optimistic that it can work but, at the end of the day, it's also a question of whether Marcel feels ready for it himself.

"At the moment, I am assuming he'll play.

"It made more sense to leave them out [of the session] again, just to give them one more day. But there are enough other candidates."

Rangnick: Sabitzer is flourishing at United

Sabitzer wore the captain's armband for Austria against Azerbaijan and will be a major miss for his country, if he is ruled out of the qualifier against Estonia.

"Sabi's performance [against Azerbaijan] was outstanding," Rangnick added.

"You can't say it any other way. He is simply a player with a lot of quality. I think the change [move] did him good. He is literally flourishing, which is very, very good. He has a lot more confidence than when he was at Bayern Munich."

United manager Erik ten Hag will also be sweating over the fitness of Sabitzer, who has impressed since joining on loan from Bayern Munich in January.

He has made nine appearances in all competitions, scoring once in United’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham earlier this month.

Sabitzer is expected to play an important role in the coming weeks, with Casemiro set to miss United’s next three matches through suspension and Christian Eriksen still unavailable as he continues his recovery from a serious ankle injury.

United next face top four rivals Newcastle away from home on April 2 before hosting Brentford and Everton at Old Trafford.

Topics: Marcel Sabitzer, Austria, Manchester United, Football, Premier League

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan