“I learned to live with the jealousy of those around me. Although it is nice to have many teams following you, I was never excited. I created a kind of bubble for myself,” confessed Hannibal Mejbri (Ivry-sur-Seine, 21-1-2003). This is not a joke. Arsenal, Liverpool, United, City, Barcelona, Lyon… They beg for that kid with curly hair, like ‘David Luiz’, and playing without shin guards… who The Paris Cup under 15 was seized from the ‘mighty’ PSG protecting colors in moderation Boulogne-Billancourt Athletic Club.
Finally, Monaco, who paid a bonus of 1 million euros!!! for a 14-year-old boy with an ‘Adidas’ contract, the lead. “If we wanted, we would receive a lot of money,” his father, Lofti, acknowledged to ‘Le Parisien’.
He spent 4 months without playing before signing for United
His ‘adventure’ in the Principality was not good and In 2019 he went to Manchester United for 10 million euros. “Before signing for United I spent four months (training with his brother) no game” Mejbri remembered. “Something bad happened. It was a real shock,” assured his father about his departure from Monaco.
In Manchester he began to climb the steps two at a time. At the age of 17 he made the jump to the under 23 team and on May 23, 2021,at 18 years and 4 months, after being selected as ‘Best Player’ in the reserve team, He debuted in the first team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“When he arrived he was full of energy and ran everywhere, sometimes to the detriment of the team. Over time, his discipline and defensive responsibility improved. He can play as a midfielder, on the left, on the right, as a ‘false 9’… But for me, from time to time I like to put him forward, so that he can be more methodical,” said Neil Wood, his coach of the ‘red devils’ reserve team.
Suddenly, the Tunisian international, although born in France, disappeared. Last season he was on loan at Birmingham City, in the Second Division: Played 41 games, scored one goal and distributed six assists. His very, wonderful, voted ‘Best Goal of the Year’ to ‘BCFC’ fans.
He has been linked to Sevilla
This summer he also looks set to leave Old Trafford. He has been linked with Sevilla, Anderlecht, Besiktas, Everton… However, Mejbri chose to move on and, given United’s problems with Antony, Sancho and Van de Beek’s ‘slump’, He has entered Ten Hag’s lineup.
Hannibal, as they called him, ‘noticed himself’ coming off the bench with his aim from outside the area.in the loss against Brighton (1-3). “This goal – the first he scored with the ‘red demons’ – is the fruit of years of work,” he tweeted.
“He gave us what we asked for. He had a big impact and gave energy” Ten Hag emphasized. His good work earned him a starter, for the first time since May 2022, in the victory against Burnley (0-1). Mejbri can boast, according to ‘StatmanDave’, the best passing success rate (90.3%) of all attacking midfielders in the Premier League.
Against Burnley, however, he stood out in another aspect: making it difficult for Kompany’s team to get the ball from the back: “He did a perfect job. He brought energy to the team. The way Hojlund and Hannibal pressed was great.”
Not just Ten Hag. Christian Eriksen also praised Hannibal’s ‘good work’: “I’m very happy. He’s a really good guy and works hard on the court.” A new ‘imp’ is on his way to Manchester United.
