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Hannibal Mejbri was one of the most exciting youngsters in world football when Manchester United snapped him up from AS Monaco in a highly-touted deal.
Since then, some bossy midfield performances for the U23s have given way to his first senior loan at Birmingham City where he spent the 2022/23 season.
After impressing in spurts during a fruitful loan spell appearance-wise, his career is at crossroads.
Manchester United keep trying to strengthen their midfield further with established options, Mason Mount being the primary one. Meanwhile, the existing midfielders on the first team roster are all more experienced and have years left at the top for a while.
However, that does not mean Hannibal’s potential is in question. The wunderkind put in some commanding performances in the Championship last season, scoring once and assisting six goals in 41 appearances. He showed enough to think that he has a bright future ahead of him at the top level.
Therefore, the only course of action which makes sense right now is another loan.
Mejbri’s case is a lot like Amad’s. Although the latter was the one who stole the headlines with his goals and assists, the Tunisian midfielder was also impressive in England’s second tier.
But, just like Amad, bossing the Championship is not a guarantee of success at Old Trafford. The step-up is just too big. It would be even more difficult for the Tunisian than it would be for Amad.
That is because the midfield is arguably the toughest position to get right in transitioning to the senior set-up. The game flows much quicker in the middle at the top level. For all his talents, Hannibal is still too trigger-happy when it comes to receiving bookings.
He received 10 yellow cards in the Championship alone. This speaks of a player prone to losing his head when tempted by the opposition.
It was a problem with him in youth football at Manchester United as well. To see that carry forward into senior football in his first proper season means some maturity is needed.
At United, such a booking record means he can’t be relied upon yet to be a regular part of the first team.
A loan, preferably to a Premier League side, would be ideal. It would give him the best chance to get used to the pace of PL football while ironing out the chinks in his armour.
Furthermore, now that the opponents know that he can be had emotionally with some confrontation, it will be another unique challenge for Hannibal to not let the opposition get into his mind.
Mnager Erik ten Hag is expected to give Hannibal some precious minutes in the pre-season before the club acts to get him another loan move based on his progress.
An interesting thing to note in this is his contract status. His contract expires in 2024 but the club has the option to extend it by a year.
So, even if he goes on loan, the club will have to provide him with some assurances regarding his path to the first team. Often players get stuck in a loan cycle before eventually leaving the parent club in a permanent capacity. Hannibal has already been receiving interest from elite clubs like Borussia Dortmund.
He has proven that he is far too talented to be let go of without being given a chance. So look out for the former Monaco man going on a loan at a higher level than Championship next season. From there, a final decision could be made on his Manchester United future, whichever direction it might be.
