Manchester United's 21-year-old prodigy, Hannibal Mejbri, is once again under scrutiny due to his behaviour. This time, it threatens to derail his potential summer transfer away from the club.
In January, Manchester United loaned out Hannibal to Sevilla with the hope that this move might lead to a £15million summer transfer. However, things have not gone as planned for the young Tunisian international.
Despite being one of 13 players who left United mid-season in search of more game time under Erik ten Hag at Sevilla, Hannibal has played just 36 minutes across all competitions. His latest appearance was an eight-minute stint off the bench in the Rayo Vallecano fixture on February 5th.
Sevilla's manager reportedly isn’t happy with Mejbri's behaviour
The loan deal included an option for Sevilla to make the move permanent for around £ 15 million. However, according to reports, there is currently no chance of that happening due to complaints about his behaviour from Sevilla coaching staff and subsequent fallout with manager Quique Sanchez Flores.
Sevilla manager, Quique Sanchez Flores, said:
“After being with him, talking to him and having seen his first minutes in Girona, we are going to give him the necessary space to understand where he is, that he is at Sevilla and what it means,” he said pointedly.
“He has to know where he is and we want to see him. We have spoken with him and we believe that he has to have some time to learn, we wanted to give him space, time for him to see things from the outside and then he will return to the squad. In the end they are kids who have come and suddenly land in a huge club like Sevilla in circumstances of maximum demand.
Hannibal Mejbri has made many unwanted headlines in career
This isn't the first instance where Hannibal’s fiery nature has impeded his career progression. In May 2022 while still at Manchester United, he was involved in a training ground altercation with defender Alex Telles during Ralf Rangnick’s tenure as manager before Ten Hag took over.
Hannibal's talent has rarely been questioned – a fact underscored by his stunning goal against Brighton this season – but it seems that behavioural issues continue to overshadow his footballing prowess.
Hannibal joined Manchester United from Ligue 1 club back in 2019 for £9.3 million and is contracted until summer 2025. Despite shining for the club’s under-21s team and making 13 appearances for the United first team, his career has been marred by behavioural issues.
While Hannibal Mejbri's talent is undeniable, his future at Manchester United and potential transfer to Sevilla are currently uncertain due to ongoing behavioural concerns. It remains to be seen whether he can overcome these issues and fully realise his potential on the football pitch.
