Man Utd's Sabitzer makes Tuchel admission after giving cryptic transfer update
Marcel Sabitzer has admitted that he has had no contact with Thomas Tuchel since the German succeeded Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern Munich 's new head coach.
Sabitzer, 29, joined Manchester United on loan from the German giants in the final hours of the January transfer window after falling out of favour under Nagelsmann, who was axed back in March.
The versatile midfielder has made a steady start to life at Old Trafford over the past few months and has openly expressed a desire to make the move permanent at the end of the season. However, Tuchel's arrival at the Allianz Arena has complicated Sabitzer's future.
While Nagelsmann was happy for Sabitzer to move on, there was always a chance that the situation could be different under Tuchel. But Sabitzer revealed before Thursday night's 1-0 loss at Brighton that he has had no contact at all with the new Bayern boss.
The Austria international told Sky Sport Germany : “So far, of course, there has been no contact [with Tuchel]. Everyone is focused on their task. In which direction it will go, we will analyze later and we will discuss everything calmly.“
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dashSabitzer's lack of contact with Tuchel since his arrival at Bayern indicates that the former Chelsea manager could well give the midfielder his blessing to leave Munich on a permanent basis in the summer - regardless of whether or not Manchester United try to retain his services.
While it remains to be seen if Erik ten Hag has an appetite to retain Sabitzer's services on a long-term basis, the former RB Leipzig star has made no secret of his desire to remain with the Premier League giants.
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Sabitzer told German outlet BILD last month: “Of course, my thoughts are on Manchester United, especially with the trust I get from Erik ten Hag - it's very positive. I've found my place here. Now I know the Premier League and can say there's nothing better.“
Much may depend on United's summer transfer budget, though: Ten Hag's top priority is an elite No.9, and the Dutchman is still in the dark over how much he'll have to spend.
When Ten Hag was asked by reporters on Wednesday whether he knew his transfer budget, he replied: “No, I don’t have influence on that, I don’t have and also I don’t know.
“The only thing I know is that Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective. The club has to compete for the highest in the world - the Champions League and Premier League.
“But in football you need funds to construct squads because, at end of the day, the level of your players decides if you are successful or not. Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad and high level players cost a lot of money. That’s the situation nowadays in top football.
“I think it’s clear what I want, but it’s not up to me. It’s about others in this club. The family are the owners, they make the decisions, it’s not up to me. I do everything I can and I influence the processes that I’m in charge of.”