Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri has spoken to Birmingham Live about his move on loan to Birmingham and the contact he keeps with Manchester United staff.
Fellow academy graduate Tahith Chong had previously made his loan spell at Birmingham a permanent thing and helped persuade Hannibal to make the move.
“Tahith told me it is a very good club, a good family with very good fans so I was so happy to come here.”
He added, “I need to play some games, that’s why I came on loan, get some experience.”
United sent Hannibal on loan to get more game time after playing 77 minutes across three matches in pre-season under Erik Ten Hag. He appeared in two games at the end of last season too.
He has kept a good line of communication with United’s staff and coaches and has been encouraged to contact Ten Hag anytime he needs to.
Hannibal is hoping to be a part of the Tunisia squad that heads out to the World Cup later this year.
“I didn’t play a lot in pre-season but they told me I am one for the future at United, that I need to work hard, go and gain some game time at Birmingham, learn Championship football.”
He has so far made five appearances for Birmingham as a substitute this season.
“I speak to the staff there [United] regularly, every game, I speak a lot with Fletch [Darren Fletcher, coach and ex-midfielder] because he is British and he knows what it is to be part of the academy so it is easier to speak to him – but I can speak to the manager any time.”
Speaking of his hopes for the future with his parent club he says, “It is very difficult [for a teenager] to play in the Premier League, we know the situation at United as well, it is difficult to play at this club but I hope I can get an opportunity to play there.”
He went on to compare the style of play between United and Birmingham.
“It is very different to Man United, we play different football but it’s good. I am here to learn, it’s more defensive, more box to box, so I have to use it to get ready for United.”
He concluded, “I just want to play games because that’s how we learn, that’s how we improve, when we play games. I am very patient, I wait for my time and hopefully I will be ready when I get my chance.”
United will be keeping a close eye on the Tunisian both at Birmingham and on international duty later this year.
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