Man Utd ‘angry’ over treatment of youngster with La Liga loanee tipped to return to Old Trafford

Ben Stewart
Hannibal Mejbri hasn’t had a good time in Spain.
Hannibal Mejbri hasn’t had a good time in Spain.

Manchester United are not happy with how Hannibal Mejbri’s loan spell with Sevilla has unfolded with the youngster now tipped to return to Old Trafford in the summer.

Given the 21-year-old had barely featured for Man Utd in the first half of the season, the club made the decision to send him out on loan in January.

However, since arriving in Spain, the tenacious midfielder hasn’t had the best of times. He’s only started in one league match and has made a handful of cameo appearances from the bench.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Man Utd chiefs are ‘angry’ with how the youngster has been treated in Spain. The club’s main frustration relates to his lack of action up until this point.

Considering Mejbri had other loan opportunities from clubs in England, he will be wishing that he stayed put in January.

While Sevilla do have the option to purchase the midfielder for £17m, the Spanish club are very unlikely to take up this option at this stage.

The 21-year-old is under contract at Old Trafford until 2025 and given his lack of action under Erik ten Hag, a sale in the summer seems likely.

Hannibal himself doesn’t seem to be happy with the situation at Sevilla as reports from earlier this month claimed that the player’s entourage are in ‘disbelief’ over his lack of game time.

Shortly after his arrival in Spain, there were reports that the Man Utd loanee had a training ground bust-up with teammate Mariano.

However, Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco was quick to dismiss these reports at the time.

“I think things have been blown out of proportion a little. We are very excited about Hannibal.

“The sports management chose him, he is one of the signings from the January window that excites us the most and we are convinced that Hannibal is going to make it at Sevilla.

“I feel like everything has its processes. He’s only been here a couple of weeks, it’s a new country, a new culture, a new city, a different way of training, a different coaching style.

“We are super excited about Hannibal and convinced he is going to play a lot and breakthrough here at our club.

When asked specifically about the reported bust-up with Mariano, he added: “Hannibal is a magnificent professional, he trains well, he takes care of himself.

“As the proverb goes, ‘A skinny dog is all fleas’. When the team is not doing well and not winning games, stories are created that are not real – like this one that is not real.

“It is a headline that is the result of the bad situation of the team.”

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