Manchester United target Bayern’s Sabitzer after losing Eriksen to injury

Erik ten Hag has said Christian Eriksen’s ankle injury that could rule him out until early May will not derail Manchester United’s season. The manager is trying to sign Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer as a deadline-day replacement.

Eriksen sustained the injury in a challenge by Reading’s Andy Carroll in Saturday’s 3-1 FA Cup victory at Old Trafford. Carroll was not booked, though he was later sent off. On Tuesday, United said Eriksen could be out for more than three months, the club’s disquiet with Carroll evident in the mention of his challenge in their statement.

Ten Hag said: “He’s disappointed, we are disappointed, but it happens in top football. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did and you have to deal with it.”

Sabitzer, a 28-year-old Austria international who can play as a midfielder or forward, is Ten Hag’s preferred option. Regarding a potential replacement he said: “On deadline day it’s difficult. You can’t make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department – good players; we have players who can fill the gap.

“You can never fill that [gap the same] because every player has his own characteristics and identity. Another player will always fill it in a different way, but it doesn’t mean you have to be less successful. It’s quite clear Christian Eriksen brings top quality to our squad and he has some specifics that are hard to replace, such as his impact in the final third with his final ball.”

One deputy may be Fred. “He’s playing together with Casemiro in the Brazil squad,” Ten Hag said. “That’s not the worst squad in the world. They have so many choices they can make but they often prefer to play [them] together and that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute.”

United said Eriksen was “caught by a tackle from Reading striker Andy Carroll. While investigations are continuing, initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May.”

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Ten Hag expects to have Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, who has not played since October, in his squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at home to Nottingham Forest.