20 February 2024 , 07:27
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Sevilla aren't expected to pay Manchester United £14.5million in order to sign troubled midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, whose loan spell in Spain is 'doomed'.
Hannibal, 21, joined the La Liga struggles during the January transfer window amid interest from Everton, Freiburg and Lyon. Despite winning the race for his signature, Sevilla have only handed the Tunisia international 36 minutes of game-time, with boss Quique Sanchez Flores restricting him to just three cameo appearances after a brief period being made unavailable for selection.
That's why the Europa League holders are unlikely to trigger their option to buy Hannibal for €17m (£14.5m) via a clause which becomes active in July. Estadio Deportivo, via Sport Witness, explain that while the 21-year-old showed glimpses during his most recent display against Valencia, it's unlikely that Sevilla - who currently sit 15th in the La Liga table - will pursue a permanent deal.
United gave Hannibal a one-year contract extension shortly before his loan move, meaning that his deal with the Red Devils runs until 2025. The ex- Monaco starlet scored his first senior goal in September, a cracking consolation strike during United's embarrassing 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton.
Having failed to establish himself as a starter under Erik ten Hag, however, United became willing to ship him out. Sevilla immediately had concerns over his attitude, though, with debutant Hannibal receiving a booking inside one minute during their 5-1 thrashing away to surprise package Girona, and the Red Devils are said to have received complaints about his behaviour.
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"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," Sanchez Flores explained after Hannibal was dropped from 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. And they need a bit of location. And that location may be seen better from the outside than from the inside.
Your turn! Does Hannibal Mejbri have a future at Man Utd? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Hannibal Mejbri has been shown two yellow cards, despite only playing 36 minutes for Sevilla (David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)"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."
A week later, the former Watford manager was asked what Hannibal needed to do in order to regain his place. "Only with talent we have been defending a place in this division for two years," Sanchez Flores explained, referencing Sevilla's recent scrapes with relegation.
"We need desire, order, ambition, desire to compete, and I try to transmit that to Hannibal. Sacrifice is probably not his best virtue, but we will find it."