16 February 2024 , 13:22
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Hannibal Mejbri’s behaviour is in the spotlight again and looks set to prevent him from earning a summer transfer away from Manchester United.
Hannibal left United to join Sevilla on loan in the January transfer window after struggling for game time under Erik ten Hag. He was one of 13 players to leave United in the middle of the season and was hoping to impress in La Liga.
But things have not gone to plan for the Tunisia international so far. The 21-year-old has played just 36 minutes in all competitions with his latest appearance coming off the bench for the final eight minutes against Rayo Vallecano on February 5.
Hannibal’s loan deal has the option for Sevilla to make the move permanent for around £15million, but Estadio Deportivo says there is currently no chance of that happening. Sevilla’s coaching staff have flagged complaints about his behaviour and he has subsequently fallen out with manager Quique Sanchez Flores.
It is not the first time that Hannibal’s fiery nature has held back his career. Back in May 2022, he was involved in a training ground bust-up with United defender Alex Telles. It was alleged that the two had a heated scrap in the final weeks of Ralf Rangnick’s time in charge, before Ten Hag arrived.
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Hannibal’s talent has rarely been questioned – evidenced by his stunning goal against Brighton this season – but his behaviour appears to be an issue. Flores was very unhappy with him after handing Hannibal a debut against Girona. “After being with him, talking to him and having seen his first minutes in Girona, we are going to give him the necessary space to understand where he is, that he is at Sevilla and what it means,” he said pointedly.
“He has to know where he is and we want to see him. We have spoken with him and we believe that he has to have some time to learn, we wanted to give him space, time for him to see things from the outside and then he will return to the squad. In the end they are kids who have come and suddenly land in a huge club like Sevilla in circumstances of maximum demand.
Hannibal Mejbri was slammed by his manager after his Sevilla debut (David S. Bustamante/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What should Manchester United do with Hannibal Mejbri? Comment below.
“And they need a bit of location. And that location may be seen better from the outside than from the inside. You should take a step to understand what we want. Let's see if the boy applies himself and I think that in the end he will understand perfectly what we want.”
Hannibal arrived at United from Monaco for £9.3million back in 2019 and his contract runs until the summer of 2025. But despite starring for the club’s under-21s, he’s made just 13 appearances for the United first team.
Having spent last season on loan with Birmingham City in the Championship, it was hoped he had matured. Yet, if the early days of his time in Seville are any indication, it seems he has a long way to go on that front.
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