The Tunisia international is the perfect antidote to the doom surrounding Old Trafford, as his unbridled enthusiasm can give the Red Devils an edge
Manchester United youngsters have a habit of coming to the fore when the first team is at its lowest ebb. When David Moyes was staring a defeat to Sunderland in the face that threatened to deepen his miserable start in the Old Trafford dugout in October 2013, an 18-year-old debutant named Adnan Januzaj was his unlikely saviour, scoring two goals in the space of a minute to turn a 1-0 defeat into a 2-1 win.
In February 2016, Louis van Gaal was reeling from a dip in form, an injury crisis afflicting 13 of his players and heading towards a humiliating Europa League elimination at the hands of Midtjylland before an unknown teenager named Marcus Rashford stepped up out of nowhere to inspire the team to a 5-1 win, then three days later scored twice against Arsenal.
Mason Greenwood broke into the team when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was deep in trouble during the 2019-20 season, scoring 10 goals between the end of November and the end of the campaign. Ralf Rangnick's knight in shining armour was Anthony Elanga, who scored off the bench to rescue a Champions League away draw with Atletico Madrid.
And amid an unexpectedly grim start to this season, Hannibal Mejbri has emerged as Erik ten Hag's secret weapon. The club may have spent close to £200 million ($244m) on new signings over the summer, but it is the Sideshow Bob lookalike who has caught the attention, breathing new life into a squad that looks increasingly jaded.
Getty ImagesImpressing Neville on a dark day
Hannibal joined United in 2019 for £9m ($11m) when he was just 16, having starred for Monaco in the UEFA Youth League. He had to wait two years to make his first senior appearance, though, as he enjoyed an eight-minute cameo against Wolves on the final day of the 2020-21 season.
His next appearance came almost a year later and in cruel circumstances. He came off the bench at Anfield with United losing 3-0, and within a minute of coming on Mohamed Salah had made it four. But the climate of humiliation could not quell the teenager's enthusiasm and he ran his heart out in just a few minutes on the pitch, flying into challenges and even collecting a booking for a rough challenge on Jordan Henderson.
Gary Neville, who was feeling exasperated in the commentary box and seemed to be almost losing the will to live, had his spirits lifted. “To be fair at least the kid’s showing something,” said the former United captain. “Honestly, it takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint to the ball and put a challenge in. I’m actually proud of him. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of Liverpool passing around him, I wish the others were the same.”
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBolt from the blue against Brighton
Fittingly for someone named after the Carthaginian general who commanded his army against the Romans, Hannibal seems to relish entering battle when his side is in trouble and needs a hero. After a successful season on loan at Birmingham City in 2022-23, his first appearance back for United was when they were trailing 2-0 at home to Brighton.
Two minutes after United had fallen a third goal down, the Tunisia international took matters into his own hands, launching the ball at goal from outside the area and beating Jason Steele at his near post. United were still trailing 3-1, but Hannibal celebrated as if he had just struck the winner in the Champions League final, throwing his fists into the air and gesturing to the crowd to keep the faith.
His goal did not end up inspiring a comeback but, rather like at Anfield the year before, he had given United hope when everything around them was crumbling. It was just not his goal that lifted spirits. He sprinted all over the pitch, chasing down opponents and going after the ball in stark contrast to the tired body language of Casemiro, whom he had replaced.
Getty Pressing from the front
Hannibal was rewarded for his galvanising performance off the bench with his first start of the season against Burnley. He was deployed in an unusually advanced position, effectively as a supporting striker to Rasmus Hojlund.
He did not see much of the ball, and only Hojlund had fewer touches than him of all the starters at Turf Moor. But he was a ball of energy throughout the 90 minutes and he did not stop running until the final whistle sounded to announce United's first away win of the season.
"He brought some energy in the team – the pressing, Rasmus Hojlund and Hannibal, together how they start the moments of the pressing, the timing was very good and togetherness with Bruno [Fernandes] and Rashy," Ten Hag said. "I thought they controlled the game in that spell they started the pressing so well and once they got beaten there was a recovery. Hannibal did that very good."
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(C)Getty ImagesMan Utd's Modric?
Hannibal has many attributes and has played in several positions throughout his career. He was a central midfielder for Monaco and for Birmingham, although he played as a No.10 or a winger during his first two years with United's youth team.
His broad skillset means he can help United in various ways. At Birmingham, he demonstrated an ability to bring the ball out of defence and dribble his way out of pressure, something remarkably few United players are capable of doing.
"He can play in a lot of positions: he can be a playmaker, he can be a regista (deep-lying playmaker), he can be a defensive midfielder, he can be a winger… but for me, his best position is central midfield," Tunisia's sporting director Mohamed Slim Ben Othman told last year. "He likes to be the player who can organise and coordinate his team. He has big physical abilities and is very selfless despite his large technical qualities. I see him as a central midfielder — similar to Luka Modric."