Erik ten Hag could be one game away from discovering £16m mistake at Manchester United

Few eyebrows were raised when Manchester United decided against making their two January loan moves permanent this summer.

Having seen Cristiano Ronaldo depart and Christian Eriksen fall victim to a long-term ankle injury, Erik ten Hag dipped into the loan market to fill the gaps with Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer respectively. The former was an undisputed flop with just two goals in 26 appearances, but the latter's spell at Old Trafford wasn't quite as black and white.

Sabitzer managed as many goals as Weghorst from 11 games fewer and was steadily impressive across the midfield as he plugged various injury and suspension-related holes, until a knee injury in mid-May saw his season ended early. The Austrian did little to harm his reputation during the loan but also failed to make the impact that encouraged Ten Hag to make his move permanent.

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And so as June turned to July, United called time on Sabitzer's loan and the midfielder returned to Bayern Munich, even if only for 24 days. Borussia Dortmund confirmed a permanent deal for the 29-year-old earlier this week, having paid around £16million and tied him down to a four-year deal.

A spell of regular football can only have helped Sabitzer regain the momentum lost at Bayern, and he admitted as much after signing for Dortmund. "I had a smile on my face every day that I could be there [at United] and play," he said. "I got a lot of rhythm, a lot of confidence, performed well. And that does something to you."

How much that has done to him remains to be