When Manchester United decided to spend a fair bit of money to sign Hannibal Mejbri from AS Monaco, a few eyebrows were raised.
After all, it isn’t every day that a Premier League club decide to spend around £9m on a 16 or 17-year-old, but that’s what the Red Devils did, and it looks like it will pay off.
While the midfielder only has the one appearance for Manchester United’s first-team to date, many are expecting that to change in the foreseeable future, such is the maturity to his game at 19 years of age.
Ralf Rangnick clearly believes in him too, having decided to place him on the bench for the league game against Southampton, even if he never brought him on.
His most recent outing for Manchester United’s U23s came towards the end of February, when he scored a goal and assisted another in a 5-2 win over Derby’s U23s, and it’s clear Mejbri is very happy at the club.
Speaking to Onze Mondial, he explained how the move came about and how it’s been at the club’s academy ever since, where he was recently voted the U23s Player of the Year last May.
He said: “I’ve always loved this club. United, it’s a club you need to respect. It’s hard to do better in Europe. Before, I watched the games of Cristiano, Nani and the achievements of Sir Alex Ferguson. United cradled me. Yes, I had other options, but after talking with my family, I was convinced it was the best choice for me.
“At United, people don’t think like in France. For them, it’s simple: either you’re good on the pitch or you leave. They don’t look at where you came from, who you are. There’s no status. For them, it’s simple: you work, you work, you work. That’s all there is to succeed. Plus, I’m with the person who has worked the most in the world of football: Cristiano Ronaldo. I can only learn next to him.”
