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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has shown he is not afraid of cutting loose highly-regarded academy graduates if he feels they are not ready to make the step up.
This summer, the club let go of the likes of Zidane Iqbal, Charlie Savage, Matej Kovar, Anthony Elanga, and Marc Jurado just to name a few.
The likes of Brandon Williams and Alvaro Fernandez have also left on loan but despite being linked with both temporary and permanent exits, Hannibal Mejbri has remained at Old Trafford.
Hannibal stays at United
He had shown he is ready to fight for first team minutes after showing his grit and determination during his Championship loan spell with Birmingham City last season.
The Tunisian was being eyed by a host of Premier League teams but it in the end, the midfielder had a chat with the manager which dissuaded him from leaving the club.
Ten Hag reportedly told Hannibal that there was a real chance of him earning minutes for the first team if he stayed due to the numerous injuries.
Currently, Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are injured while Scott McTominay does not seem to be in the manager’s plans while Donny van de Beek is certain to leave.
While he was not part of the matchday squads in the opening three games, the 20-year-old was on the bench during the game against Arsenal.
Since he has not got any minutes as yet this season, there are still rumours of an exit flying around with Turkey reported to be a potential option.
As per Fotospor, Besiktas had sent a loan request for the academy graduate and while it is not an urgent need, the club are still ready to try their luck.
Besiktas have recently signed Eric Bailly from the Red Devils.
Besiktas wanted Hannibal
“Surprise attempt for Hannibal Mejbri. That position is not a priority in the transfer market for Beşiktaş. If it happens, it’s okay, if not, it’s okay. This position is number 10.
“In this context, with the approval of Şenol Güneş, a rental offer was sent for Hannibal Mejbri, who plays for the Manchester United B team.”
The report states the move is close to impossible at the moment now that the deadline has passed to name the players who will be playing in Europe.
It was interesting to see the Turkish giants view Hannibal as the No 10. He can certainly play in a number of positions, including as the attacking midfielder and hence the interest from Turkey.
However, while his versatility is a huge asset, it has seemingly stopped the player from making one position his own. It will be interesting to see how much game time he receives in the first half of the season.
