01 January 2023 , 08:59
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Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is reportedly being courted by French giants Marseille.
Hannibal, 19, was snapped up from Monaco by United when he was just 16 and has gone on to make a handful of senior appearances since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed him his debut in the final match of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
The Tunisian teenager has earned rave reviews in the Championship this year after joining Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal back in the summer. However, his performances have now attracted the attention of Marseille, who are believed to be weighing up a permanent swoop for the highly-rated midfield maestro.
According to The Sun, United are monitoring Hannibal's progress at Birmingham; but Marseille are 'keen' on stepping in themselves after sending one of their talent scouts to check on the youngster last week.
The report outlines that Hannibal has failed to live up the lofty expectations that were placed upon him at Old Trafford following his switch from Monaco; indicating that the club hierarchy may open to the idea of cashing in on teenager if an adequate offer is tabled in January.
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Hannibal made headlines earlier this year when he was involved in a training ground bust-up with Alex Telles in the wake of United's chastening 4-1 defeat against Brighton at the tail-end of last season.
Erik ten Hag decided to offload Telles and keep Hannibal after the clash; although the club later made the decision to send the youngster out on loan to the second-tier in a bid to accelerate his development.
Join the debate! Do you think Man Utd should sell Mejbri this month? Let us know here.
Marseille are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri (Getty Images)With that in mind, it remains to be seen if Ten Hag would now be open to offloading Hannibal for good.
Before his temporary switch to Birmingham was confirmed, Hannibal stressed that he was determined to succeed at Old Trafford - and acknowledged that he needed to work harder in order to force his way into the United first-team.
"I said to myself, 'Oh yeah, I need to work hard!'" Hannibal told Pro-Direct Soccer France. "I didn't come here for nothing, not to have on my CV: 'I played for United'. I came to prove to the world that a young person from Paris, from the neighbourhood, can come and impose himself. And me...I'm ready to risk everything to succeed at United."
Hannibal has clocked up three assists in 19 outings for Birmingham so far this term and was recently branded "phenomenal" by Blues boss John Eustace. Speaking in October, he said: “The way he has played in the last couple of games has been phenomenal. He has broken records for total distance [covered], all that kind of stuff.”