Hannibal Mejbri


Hannibal Mejbri is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United.

Early life

Mejbri was born in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, and joined Paris FC in 2009. In 2016, it was reported that he was being scouted by a host of English clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, the latter of which had spent time on trial with. He spent time studying at the prestigious INF Clairefontaine academy.

Club career

Despite the interest from English clubs, Mejbri had a short spell with Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt, before joining AS Monaco in 2018 for a fee of €1 million. Despite initially being impressed by Monaco's youth development, Mejbri became disillusioned by the Monégasque club within a year of signing, with his parents claiming the Ligue 1 side had breached contract agreements. In 2019, he was being tracked by clubs across Europe, including German, French and Spanish champions, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. On 11 August 2019, Premier League side Manchester United announced on their website that they had reached an agreement with Monaco to sign Mejbri, with the youngster reportedly rejecting moves to other English clubs. The fee paid by the Manchester club was believed to be around €5 million, possibly rising to €10 million in add-ons.
Mejbri settled quickly into Manchester United's youth teams, progressing to the under-23 squad, despite still being 17. He is tipped to become a first-team player at Manchester United.

Playing style

A composed midfielder on the ball, head of first-team development at Manchester United, Nicky Butt, compared Mejbri to his former teammates David Beckham and Roy Keane for his leadership skills. Coach Neil Ryan has also praised Mejbri, stating he has high hopes for the young playmaker.

International career

Mejbri has represented France at under-16 and under-17 level. He is also eligible to represent Tunisia through his parents, with his father, Lofti, reportedly having played in Tunisia.

Career statistics

Club

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