Rangnick confirms Hannibal plan after 'humiliating' teammates in training

Ralf Rangnick says "promising talent" Hannibal Mejbri is now a full member of Manchester United 's first-team squad.

Mejbri's promotion comes after starring for Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations, having only turned 19 in January.

The dazzling midfielder made his Premier League debut on the final day of last season and is set to be included in the matchday squad for Friday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

And Mejbri's appearance in the senior setup will be the first of many, as Rangnick told MUTV : "We have Hannibal included in the squad.

"He will, from now on, regularly train with us and be a regular member of the squad. He will also be part of the squad for tomorrow's cup game.

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"To be honest, I haven't seen that much of him as he was with the national team. I saw him play in the tournament, not the Africa Cup of Nations but the one before [the Arab Cup].

"I saw him play in the final and, from what I've seen so far, I think he's a promising talent. He deserves to be part of the group for the rest of the season and also part of the group for tomorrow's game."

While the teenager - who joined the Red Devils in 2019 from Monaco - helped Tunisia to reach the Arab Cup final, he was also part of the squad that made it to the quarter-finals of the AFCON, before losing 1-0 to Burkina Faso.

At club level, Mejbri's talents are well-documented within United's inner sanctums, as he regularly flummoxes players with the ball at his feet.

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

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

And he will join Paul Pogba in Rangnick's squad on Friday, with the acclaimed German coach also confirming in his press conference: "Paul will be part of the group, he might even be in the starting line-up.

" Edinson Cavani will only return at the weekend, he contacted me at the weekend and asked to have two more days at home - I knew he couldn't be in the starting 11 with jet lag.

"Victor Lindelof has been ill the whole week and not training. Eric Bailly came back yesterday, he has some problems with his ankle and will not be part of the squad.

"Luke Shaw will be playing because Alex Telles played 90 minutes for Brazil."

Meanwhile, teammate Jesse Lingard has been given time off to clear his head after failing to secure a deadline-day loan move to Newcastle.

"Jesse asked if we could give him a couple of days off to clear his mind," Rangnick added. "He will be back in training on Monday and part of the whole squad."