Marcel Sabitzer has said that he is "very proud" to be a part of Manchester United, as the speculation surrounding a permanent move to the club continues to gather pace.

The Austria international joined the Red Devils on loan from Bayern Munich in January, and he has represented Erik ten Hag's side on 16 occasions, scoring three times and registering one assist.

Man United are said to be keen to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent basis this summer, and Sabitzer has revealed his delight at being able to represent the 20-time English champions.

"I've already experienced a lot in my career, including Bayern Munich," Sabitzer told German journalist Florian Plettenberg. "Here, everything is bigger. There are even more people who care about you.

"People are crazy about Manchester United. You can feel it at Old Trafford. So I can only say that I enjoy being here and I'm very proud to have managed to be a part of the club."

Sabitzer also lavished praise on Casemiro and hailed the quality of the midfielders at Old Trafford.

"He (Casemiro) is an experienced player who has won everything at global level that can be won. And he has done it several times," the Austrian added.

"There's no need to talk about his value, because he's an exceptional player, he holds the team together. He's a leader on the pitch. I think we have extremely high quality in midfield right now. That's why we're in the position we're in now."

Sabitzer has also revealed that he has not yet been in touch with new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, who took charge of the German champions towards the end of March.

"So far, of course, there has been no contact. Everyone is focused on their task. In which direction it will go, we will analyse later and we will discuss everything calmly," he added.

Sabitzer has played nine times in the Premier League since his arrival at Old Trafford, including 86 minutes of Sunday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

The experienced midfielder still has another two years left to run on his contract at Allianz Arena, but Bayern are allegedly open to letting him leave for a relatively low fee this summer.

Last month, Sabitzer suggested that he was open to moving to Man United on a permanent basis.

The Austrian is again expected to be involved for Ten Hag's side on Thursday evening, with the top-four hopefuls in action away to Brighton & Hove Albion.