Hannibal Mejbri 'took p***' out of team-mates before emerging as Man Utd leader

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is preparing to turn to Hannibal Mejbri to solve his growing midfield conundrum.

Despite a positive run of form under his guidance, the German has yet to fully decide on his best XI and the formation to put them in.

Reports have claimed that Old Trafford bosses see the midfield as the biggest area of concern within the squad which will complete the season.

United had been linked with signing a central midfield player in January, although the imminent return of Paul Pogba ultimately dictated that they didn't need to act.

Mejbri is another that could step up in the closing months of the campaign, with the youngster finally set for a prolonged spell with the senior team.

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The Tunisian international has spent months away on international duty, first in the Arab Cup and then in the Africa Cup of Nations.

But the 19-year-old is ready to skip a pre-planned holiday in order to have more chance to impress interim boss Rangnick.

That decision highlights the kind of commitment that made the Red Devils so desperate to acquire his talent as a precocious 16-year-old wonderkid.

It is understood United shelled out around €5million to get a deal done, a clear signifier of just how highly-rated he is.

Since arriving in England, Mejbri has been treated somewhat with 'kid gloves' given time to adjust and adapt to the rigours of senior football.

Nicky Butt worked with the French-born starlet for much of his development and admitted back in 2020 that he would need to physically improve before he could truly be judged.

"He's a young man who's come to a new country who needs a bit of time," he told Manchester Evening News. "He's a very, very talented boy but he's still very immature. He's still a baby, he's just 17.

"He's not got anything on him just yet, he needs to build up his size and build up his physicality. Talent-wise, he's got such an immense talent to go on and play at a high level but there's a long way to go yet."

But despite lacking physicality, he made an impression in other ways - most notably his ability to make team-mates look silly out on the pitches at Carrington.

The Athletic reported that Mejbri would regularly flummox players with the ball at his feet, many of whom were significantly older than him.

"He actually takes the "p***" sometimes against players a couple of years older than him," said a club source. "He'll feint to strike then drag it and shoot the other way."

He continued that trend once he made his way into some first-team sessions, most notably leaving Fred dizzy with his silky skills.

And as he made tentative steps into the first team, making his Premier League debut against Wolves last term, his leadership qualities began to become apparent.

No longer a "baby" in a new country, Butt, who played with leaders like Steve Bruce and Roy Keane during his own playing days, believes Mejbri's all-action style lends itself to be an on-field general.

"Leaders are always looked at like a Roy Keane, a Steve Bruce, a Bryan Robson, those kind of verbal, real aggression, real leaders," he explained. "And then you've got leaders like Paul Scholes or David Beckham or Ryan Giggs, who's quiet but really leads by example of how they play and how they work hard.

"We've got the old-fashioned leaders, if you like, who are going to talk to the players and drive the team. Hannibal (Mejbri)'s a leader. The way he plays his football is 100mph, he's non-stop running up and down."

He now looks set to have an extended time to prove those words correct, as he looks to force his way into Rangnick's plans between now and the summer.