17
Apart from handling incomings and outgoings, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag also needs to deal with the immediate futures of a number of highly-talented youngsters.
Competition for places is expected to be quite high and the Dutchman is not afraid to cut loose academy youngsters if he deems them to be not good enough.
The likes of Charlie Savage, Zidane Iqbal and Anthony Elanga have already made way with more to follow.
However, there are those like Hannibal Mejbri and Amad Diallo who shone last season out on loan in the Championship and could have a future at the club.
Hannibal’s future uncertain
The Tunisian played in the opening two friendlies against Leeds United and Olympique Lyon but did not come off the bench against Arsenal.
It remains to be seen how much game-time the versatile playmaker receives during the rest of pre-season considering the opposition and the options at the manager’s disposal.
With Mason Mount’s entry and the potential arrival of Sofyan Amrabat, it is going to get harder for the 20-year-old to get game-time in the coming campaign.
However, Ten Hag still believes in the Tunisian international and thus a loan move is being considered. He has featured three times for the Red Devils, once under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and twice under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
As per Noussour TN, three clubs have expressed in interest in taking the United academy graduate on loan — Premier League new boys Luton Town, recently-relegated Leicester City and an unnamed outfit.
🚨 Info @NoussourTN : Hannibal Mejbri devrait quitter Manchester United cet été, un prêt est ré-envisagé ! 🔱👋🏽
3 clubs ont fait part d’un vif intérêt actuellement pour notre aigle : Luton Town, Leicester, le 3e n’a pas filtré.
Hannibal veut trouver un club de Premier League… pic.twitter.com/FIeOXYu6l3
— Noussour 🇹🇳 (@NoussourTN) July 25, 2023
Interestingly, the player, having performed in the second division for Birmingham City, would prefer staying in the Premier League but the guarantee of game-time is most alluring at this stage due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in 2024.
“Hannibal Mejbri could leave Manchester United this summer, a loan is being considered! Three clubs have currently expressed a strong interest: Luton Town, Leicester, the 3rd is unknown.
Three bidders for a Hannibal loan spell
“Hannibal wants to find a Premier League club for his progression with the certainty of playing the matches, that said he will take his time to choose the best possible option. The player wants to be 100% ready for CAN 2024.”
Another potential issue that the club need to solve with regards to Hannibal is his contract situation. His current deal expires in 2024 but the club do have the option of extending it by a year.
If a loan deal is agreed, the versatile midfielder will have only one year left and that could take a toll on his potential value. So ideally, the Red Devils need to agree a new long-term deal before sending him out on loan.
He had arrived from Monaco for €10million and United should not take a hit on that considering the player’s potential.
