Talented Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri is set to join Championship side Birmingham City on loan.
According to Rich Fay on Twitter, Championship side Birmingham City are close to landing Manchester United starlet Hannibal Mejbri on a season-long loan in this summer transfer window.
The 19-year-old moved to Old Trafford from AS Monaco in 2019. He has since stood out in a Red Devils academy that already boasts several talented youngsters. The 2021 Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year, Hannibal made his first team bow in the final Premier League game of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Tunisian international made a name for himself with a series of cameos in the latter half of the 2021/22 campaign. While he showed heart, his ability on the ball left much to be desired, showing that there are still aspects of his game that need to be worked on. With first-team minutes unlikely this season, it makes sense for the Red Devils to loan him out.
Doing so will see the 19-year-old continue his development. While he possesses the raw talents, some fine tuning is required before he can develop into a reliable first-teamer at Old Trafford. An attacking midfielder, the Tunisian ace was part of the Red Devils’ pre-season squad. Despite getting a look in, the club’s decision to loan him speaks volumes about his current prospects at the Theatre of Dreams.
Championship side Birmingham City are close to landing the player and could play host to the next chapter in his career. The Blues have, in the past, developed talents such as the Bellingham brothers and have a decent track record for developing talent. Teden Mengi and Tahith Chong earlier enjoyed spells on loan at St Andrews’, and Hannibal Mejbri could be the latest Manchester United prospect to join the fray.
The youngster had considerable interest this summer with Milwall, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion all keeping tabs. The second tier is a step-down, but it has in the past, served as a proving ground for top-flight prospects.
Erik ten Hag has a huge job on his hands at Old Trafford and is open to permitting Hannibal to leave the club on loan. The player himself is also ready to call it quits temporarily to secure regular game-time elsewhere. Doing so will certainly aid his chances of making the Tunisian squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this year.
Mejbri is an extremely talented player with oodles of potential. Harnessing it, however, is another ball game and St Andrews could prove to be the venue for just that. Come this time next year, Manchester United could have themselves a youngster ready to take on the Premier League challenge.
