09 February 2023 , 07:54
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Hannibal Mejbri has admitted he was surprised by the amount of gym work that is done in English football when he first arrived at Manchester United.
United signed the Tunisia international, 20, from Monaco in August 2019 and he has gone on to play three Premier League games for the club. He is currently enjoying a season-long loan spell in the Championship with Birmingham City, making 26 outings to date.
Mejbri has done well during his time at St Andrew's, with Birmingham boss John Eustace describing him as "phenomenal" after an impressive display last October. The central midfielder has now opened up on what it is like to play in the Championship.
"Now if someone kicks me I have to kick them back!" Mejbri joked to Sky Sports when asked about the league physicality. "No, I have to stay in the game and show my quality first. If someone kicks you it is no problem. You have to forget and keep going.
"I think I have some good technical ability and I can play some good passes. I see things maybe earlier than some other players. But since I am in the Championship, I have seen that I need to work on my physical capabilities. It is making me a better player.
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"As a Championship No.8 you have to contest the second balls. You don't really see this dirty work as much in the Premier League, but it is really important in the Championship. If you don't pick up those second balls or win your duels you can feel it straight away."
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United agreed a deal worth around £9million with Monaco to bring Mejbri to Old Trafford - beating Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona to his signature. He made his senior debut against Wolves in May 2021 after progressing into the senior team.
Mejbri was expected to complete a loan move to the Championship last season, but his temporary switch was delayed to allow him to play regularly for Tunisia. Despite turning out for France's U17s, the youngster decided to represent the country of his parents' birth.
That experience has stood Mejbri in good stead, as he has since won 20 senior caps for Tunisia. He was part of their squad that reached the final of the Arab Cup in 2021 and played at the recent World Cup in Qatar, with Tunisia exiting at the group stage.
On gym work, Mejbri said: "In France, we did not really do gym work, we did more technical things, so when I came to England and saw there was a gym, I was surprised.
"I remember when I had to do my first gym session. It was really hard. I saw the other lads doing everything easily but it was really hard for me. I went back home that night and did some push-ups! I was doing extra to slowly get up to speed with the training."
Mejbri and Birmingham will be aiming for three points on Friday night, as they welcome West Brom to the Hawthorns. Eustace's side are 18th in the table - just seven points above the relegation zone. West Brom, meanwhile, are sixth.