Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has picked up a knee injury while on international duty with Austria, Ralf Rangnick has confirmed.
The Bayern Munich loanee - who arrived at Old Trafford in January to cover for the injured Christian Eriksen - sustained the issue during his nation's 4-1 win over Azerbaijan on Friday.
Wearing the captain's armband, Sabitzer scored twice and provided an assist in a man-of-the-match display, but he came off after 74 minutes of that Euro 2024 qualifier.
The 29-year-old subsequently missed his side's final training session before Monday's second Group F encounter with Estonia, and Rangnick was asked for an update ahead of the clash by Laola 1.
While confirming that Sabitzer - along with defender Gernot Trauner - had sustained a knock to the knee, Rangnick is hopeful that he will be able to play on Monday evening, and the former Man United interim boss also claimed that the midfielder appears more confident at Old Trafford than he did at Bayern.
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"In the end, it is a question of pain and pain tolerance for both Marcel and Gernot. Of course, we hope that Marcel will do well, especially after that first game in Linz," Rangnick said.
"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."
Hailing Sabitzer's showing in the triumph over Azerbaijan, Rangnick added: "Sabi's performance was outstanding, 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."
Given that Sabitzer's January arrival was triggered by serious injuries to Eriksen and Donny van de Beek - who is out for the campaign with a knee problem - Erik ten Hag will be monitoring assessments surrounding the Bayern loanee with bated breath.
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Sabitzer is yet to make a significant impact in the Man United first team, scoring one goal in nine appearances, but he has already won the EFL Cup with the Red Devils.
As things stand, the midfielder will head back to Bayern when his loan deal runs out in the summer, and he has refused to give much away surrounding a possible permanent stay in Manchester.
"Whatever happens in the summer, we will see. I had to make a quick decision in January. I was focused on this, it was clear it is just a loan until the summer. I take every game as it comes. I'm very happy to be here. I will give 100%," Sabitzer told reporters last week.
"I am very happy to be part of this team, this amazing club, and I feel very welcomed. I am very happy at the moment."
The Austria international has just two goals and two assists to boast from 54 appearances in a Bayern shirt, prior to which he came up with 52 strikes and 42 assists in 229 outings for RB Leipzig.
Man United occupy third place in the Premier League table and are back in action away to fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.
