Amid ties with Rangers, Erik Ten Hag conveyed a stern message to Hannibal Mejbri about Manchester United.
This transfer season, Rangers fans have some hope thanks to the name Hannibal Mejbri. The 21-year-old midfielder for Manchester United, who played for the Red Devils at Murrayfield, has been frequently linked to a move to Ibrox.
First rumors of a “advanced” contract to sign Hannibal with Rangers were quickly dispelled when the midfield player left for United’s USA training camp. Nevertheless, the connections were revived when Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed to Caught Offside that Rangers had a “genuine” interest in Hannibal Mejbri this summer. The trouble is, Celtic, an Old Firm foe, do the same, if allegations from Tunisia are to be believed.
An other indication that Erik Ten Hag does not include Hannibal Mejbri in his plans for Manchester United this season comes from the Old Trafford club in the United States.
It is lost on Hannibal. The preseason roster for Manchester United includes Hannibal Mejbri this year.
As previously stated, Mejbri has been with United throughout their preseason tour of the USA. The former loanee of Birmingham City and Sevilla participated against Rangers in the 2-0 loss in Edinburgh. However, Hannibal did not play a single minute in Colombia, South Carolina, as the Red Devils concluded their tour against bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League. Hannibal’s absence seemed to send a strong message about the midfielder’s standing in Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup as Manchester United was humiliated 3-0 by Arne Slot’s revamped Reds.
Given that United is about to return to the UK, we imagine the midfielder’s last interview with the team ended in tears. This preseason represents Hannibal’s last opportunity to persuade United management to offer him a new contract.
Rangers need transfer reinforcements in the middle of the pitch. Speaking after the 0-0 draw with Hearts, Philippe Clement again bemoaned the loss of midfield general John Lundstram this summer. With Hannibal Mejbri out of contract next summer, it sounds like Manchester United wants to offload him permanently. Rangers fans will be watching how his situation develops this summer.
The Rangers have not yet added a comparable replacement for the 52 times that the Trabzonspor-bound midfielder played during the previous campaign.
Although Hannibal, 21, is unlikely to take over Lunny’s leadership position, he could improve the Rangers’ meager alternatives in the middle of the park. Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande have had a lot of use during the preseason, but Nicolas Raskin is still out due to injury.
The opinion on players like Kieran Dowell in the role is still up in the air, although Rangers have been connected to several capable midfield players this summer. These include Seville’s Joan Jordan, Norwich City’s Kenny McLean, and most recently, Vitesse Arnhem’s recently released Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel.