With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Manchester United may soon have to make a decision as to the future of midfield maestro, Marcel Sabitzer, with it yet to be seen whether the Austrian international will remain at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season.
Having been signed on a short-term loan deal in January, amid the loss of Christian Eriksen to injury, the deadline day arrival has made a strong impression in his temporary home thus far, scoring three goals and providing one assist in 16 outings across all competitions to date.
Hailed as a "machine" by teammate Diogo Dalot, the Bayern Munich man has also received notable praise from manager Erik ten Hag, with the former Ajax boss having lauded the playmaker for his "fantastic" impact at the club thus far.
The player himself has quickly fallen in love with life in Manchester after only recently hinting at his desire to continue playing in the "best league in the world", albeit with the 29-year-old also aware that he is "not the only one who decides" what will happen next term.
Journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed early last month that there are set to be "decisive talks" over whether the £13m-rated man will secure a permanent stay at the Theatre of Dreams, with there still a great deal of uncertainty over just what the outcome will be.
As far as United are concerned, it may be something of a blow if they are unable to keep Sabitzer at the club for the 2023/24 campaign, with the aim to avoid a repeat of Henrik Larsson's brief time at the club, as the experienced Swede was not able to stay beyond his short stint under Sir Alex Ferguson.
How good was Henrik Larsson for Man United?
It is telling of Larsson's quality that he remains something of a cult figure among Red Devils supporters despite only enjoying a three-month loan spell at the club, with the prolific striker having been snapped up from Helsingborg in January 2007.
The former Barcelona and Celtic menace – who had notably scored 242 goals in just 315 games for the Glasgow giants – had previously been a target for the Premier League side during his stint at Parkhead, although eventually arrived in Manchester at the ripe old age of 35 later down the line.
Despite having moved past his peak the prolific striker still made a telling impact for United after scoring three goals in just 13 appearances, having been praised as a "real joy" by Ferguson.
As the legendary manager also stated, he "would have done anything" to keep Larsson at the club for a longer period of time, albeit with the player himself opting to honour his contract with his parent club by returning to his homeland in March 2007.
The now-retired ace has subsequently admitted his "regret" at not staying at least until the end of that season, having also stated he would have also "stayed for one more season" had he been able to have his time again.
While in the case of Sabitzer it is more likely to be the choice of either Bayern or United that decides his fate, Ten Hag and co must learn from that previous Larsson example and do all they can to keep the impressive loan signing at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
