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Hannibal Mejbri has reflected on his time at Manchester United and shed light on what led to his exit from Old Trafford last season.
During the ongoing pre-season, Toby Collyer has so far managed to attract more headlines than any other United midfielder, with many expecting him to enjoy a breakthrough campaign.
Last season, it was Mejbri that many thought would cement his place in Erik ten Hag’s squad, especially after Kobbie Mainoo found himself on the sidelines for the first four months of the new campaign. But it was not to be.
The Tunisian midfielder moved to Manchester from Monaco in 2019, joining the Red Devils’ youth setup in a deal potentially rising to £9.3 million.
The early days in England were challenging for the Paris-born youngster. “It was hard when I moved to Manchester, I’m not going to lie,” Hannibal told The National.
“It’s a football city, but I was alone. I had learnt English at school but the English I heard in England was nothing like what I had been taught.”
However, Mejbri went to an English school to work on his speaking skills. Meanwhile, to get a taste of regular senior football, he headed out on loan to Birmingham City in 2022.
“I did good and felt progress at Birmingham. You progress when you get game time. When you play every week, it’s hard to go back to the bench,” he revealed.
The dynamic midfielder established himself as one of Birmingham’s most important players, making a staggering 41 appearances during the 2022-23 season. In particular, the way he dealt with the Championship’s physicality was impressive.
However, he failed to get similar minutes upon his return to United despite scoring a sensational goal against Brighton and Hove Albion in September of 2023. In total he made five league appearances before deciding it is time to move elsewhere to continue his development.
Reflecting on his decision, Mejbri said: “Last season was OK when I was at United, but I felt I could have had a little bit more game time after the Brighton game when I scored. As a player you always want more, so I decided to go on loan to Sevilla. I experienced a lot of things there.”
Sevilla signed the 21-year-old in January on loan for the remainder of the season. The Spanish outfit also agreed an option to buy him permanently for £14m plus £3m in add-ons.
However, his spell in Sevilla started on a frustrating note. He was booked on his debut and found himself out of the squad a week after joining the club.
The hopes of a permanent transfer evaporated quickly, with Mejbri only managing six La Liga appearances before returning to United.
Still, Mejbri, who now feels “respected” by his teammates, believes he learnt a lot during his time in Spain and is now hoping to show his talents in the upcoming season.
“As a footballer, I just want to play and show myself. Every player will say the same. I’m tired of sitting on a bench watching others play.”
However, the pre-season is not going very well for the midfielder. His only start came against Rosenborg, and he remained an unused substitute in the side’s 3-0 defeat against Liverpool over the weekend. All things point towards another departure from United for the talented midfielder, this time perhaps a permanent one.
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