Marcel Sabitzer is Man United's new No.15: A look at other legends who donned iconic shirt number
Marcel Sabitzer has been pictured in a Manchester United shirt for the first time since completing his deadline-day loan switch from Bayern Munich, and the new signing will wear the iconic No. 15 shirt.
FollowSince completing his deadline-day loan transfer from Bayern Munich, Marcel Sabitzer has been pictured wearing a Manchester United jersey for the first time, and the Austrian has chosen the iconic No.15.
On transfer deadline day, the Red Devils promptly moved to recruit the Austrian international midfielder, who will join them on loan for the campaign's duration after Christian Eriksen was given a three-month injury layoff.
After the 28-year-old arrived at Old Trafford earlier this week for his new challenge after being cut loose by the Bundesliga giants this season, United shared photos of him making a few postures in their home jersey.
The former RB Leipzig star will be donning shirt number 15, previously worn by Andreas Pereira. The Belgian left United during the summer transfer window when he made a 10 million-pound move to Fulham after struggling to break his way into the first team. The iconic number was also worn by legends like Nemanja Vidic, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, etc.
Here's a look at the other stars who wore the iconic jersey at Old Trafford:
Andreas Pereira (21/22, 18/19 - 19/20)
Adnan Januzaj (16/17)
Daley Blind (16/17)
Nemanja Vidic‎ (05/06 - 13/14)
Kléberson (03/04 - 04/05)
Luke Chadwick (01/02 - 02/03)
Jesper Blomqvist (98/99 - 00/01)
Karel Poborsky (96/97 - 97/98)
Terry Cooke (95/96)
Graeme Tomlinson (94/95 - 95/96)
John O'Kane (94/95)
Simon Davies (94/95 - 95/96)
Paul Scholes (94/95)
David Beckham (94/95)
Nicky Butt (93/94)
Gary Neville (93/94)
Dion Dublin (93/94)
Lee Sharpe (93/94)
David Beckham (92/93)
Clayton Blackmore (90/91 - 93/94)
Mark Robins (90/91 - 91/92)
Darren Ferguson (90/91)
Russell Beardsmore (90/91 - 92/93)
Viv Anderson (90/91)
Peter Barnes (85/86)
Jimmy Greenhoff (77/78)
David McCreery (77/78)
Sabitzer observed his brand-new Old Trafford teammates take on Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal, which they won 2-0 to go to the final. The midfielder will now be looking to make his Premier League debut for his new team against Crystal Palace on Saturday. However, given his recent arrival, he would be expected to start on the bench.
Sabitzer told the club after his arrival, "Sometimes in life you have to make quick and important decisions. From the moment I heard about this opportunity I knew it was right for me. I am a competitive player; I want to win and help the club achieve its aims this season."
"I feel that I am at my peak as a player, and that I can contribute a lot of experience and energy to the squad. I'm excited to start with my new teammates and manager and to show my qualities to Manchester United fans," the Austrian added.
Meanwhile, United boss Erik ten Hag said, "We are really happy with that transfer because we needed it after Donny van de Beek dropped out, now Christian Eriksen for a longer time."
"Also, I think for a shorter time, Scott McTominay is also not available. So that gave us a shortage of midfield players but then to bring a quality player in on deadline day, that's difficult!" he added.
"Then we got this opportunity. I know the player already a long time from Salzburg and especially from Leipzig, he performed fantastic, so I expect that he will do the same here. I think he has a great attitude, he is in the right age and I'm sure this opportunity will motivate him strongly and he will perform for us," the Dutchman remarked.
Sabitzer has played 54 times since arriving at Bayern Munich in 2021, scoring twice, but has struggled to nail down regular first-team football. In the past Bundesliga season, he only made eight starts and appeared 17 times off the bench, scoring once and assisting once.
Between 2014 and 2021, the midfielder established himself at RB Leipzig with several standout performances. The 28-year-old played 229 games for Leipzig, scoring 52 goals along the way, before signing a 14 million-pound contract with Bayern.
Sabitzer will join United as they try to fill Eriksen's shoes in midfield and give Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, and Scott McTominay some competition.
