Ten Hag ‘said no’ to Man Utd star’s exit with ‘new deal to be offered’ to player ‘trusted’ by Dutchman

According to reports, Manchester United are planning to offer Hannibal Mejbri a new contract after his impressive start to the new season.

The Red Devils paid around €5m to sign Mejbri from Ligue Un side AS Monaco in 2019. He has made a promising start to this season after he shone while on loan at Championship outfit Birmingham City during the 2022/23 campaign.

Hannibal was linked with a move away from Man Utd during the summer transfer window but he ended up sticking around and he scored his first senior goal for the Premier League giants during their 3-1 defeat to Brighton earlier this month.

The emergence of the 20-year-old has been a positive for Man Utd during the early stages of this season and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Erik ten Hag “trusts” the midfielder.

Romano is also of the understanding that Ten Hag “said no” to Hannibal leaving in the summer amid interest from Sevilla and Man Utd are now going to “offer him a new deal”.

“Erik ten Hag trusts the 20-year-old midfielder who is doing very well. What I can reveal to you is that during the summer Sevilla wanted the player on loan from Man United, but it was ten Hag who said no, he wanted to keep Hannibal in the squad to give him some chances,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“Man United are prepared to open doors for the player and to offer him a new deal. His current one expires in two years so it’s not something urgent or imminent but something that United want to do.

“The player will take his time because now he’s focused on the games and on training, and he wants to do his best for Man United, to fight for the club, for the badge and for the opportunity he’s having and then in the next weeks and months, discuss a new contract with Manchester United. So, it’s going to take some time before they get into the crucial stages of the conversation.”

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Romano believes “Sevilla are still there” for Hannibal, while there is “nothing new to report” on Ten Hag’s future.

“From what I’m hearing, Sevilla are still there, still hopeful of having the player on loan in January if the situation changes. Let’s see what happens, but at the moment Hannibal is very happy at United,” Romano added.

“He loves the opportunity he’s been getting and he’s very happy with the current situation there and with Erik ten Hag. The club will offer the player, who already had some opportunities on loan, a new, important, long-term contract and he really always wanted to perform for Manchester United.

“There’s nothing new to report on Erik ten Hag either. Man United are busy with different things now, focused on getting positive results, that’s the priority. I’d rate his job as a seven up until now.

“He’s managed to freshen up the squad, won a trophy, not had a great start to this season but the impact he has had overall been very good.”

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