A Manchester United youngster has been issued several warnings from his manager after playing just 36 minutes of his loan spell.
In January, United were relatively dormant in the transfer market, with the window merely peppered by the odd loan departure.
Among those to leave on loan was midfielder Hannibal Mejbri. The 21-year-old was selected sparingly by Erik ten Hag in the first half of the season but impressed in games against Burnley and Crystal Palace.
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Hannibal, who spent the 2022/23 campaign at Birmingham, has now joined La Liga side Sevilla until the end of the season.
However, things have not yet gone to plan. According to Spanish publication AS, the Tunisian midfielder “must convince” Sevilla boss Quique Sanches Flores he merits a place in the first team.
Hannibal, who opted for a move to Spain over a transfer to Premier League outfit Everton, has played just 36 minutes of La Liga football and registered two bookings in that time.
The publication claims that Hannibal is “already aiming” for a first-team spot, but has so far “hardly been counted” by ex-Watford manager Flores.
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The Sevilla coach has also allegedly issued the player with “several warnings” and has told the youngster that he must learn what it takes to make it at Sevilla.”
The Tunisia international, who did not feature in his nation’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign having opted out of the tournament to secure his club future, joined Sevilla on loan in a deal that includes a £17.2million option to buy.
In January, Sevilla manager Flores explained that Hannibal merely needed time to adapt to his new surroundings before being considered for first-team proceedings.
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The Spaniard said in a press conference: "After being with him, talking to him and having seen his first minutes in Girona, we are going to give him the necessary space to understand where he is, that he is at Sevilla and what it means. He has to know where he is and we want to see him.
"We have spoken with him and we believe that he has to have some time to learn, we wanted to give him space, time for him to see things from the outside and then he will return to the squad.
"In the end, they are kids who have come and suddenly landed in a huge club like Sevilla in circumstances of maximum demand. And they need a bit of location.
"And that location may be seen better from the outside than from the inside. You should take a step to understand what we want. Let's see if the boy applies himself and I think that in the end he will understand perfectly what we want."
Topics: Football, Manchester United, Hannibal Mejbri, Sevilla, Premier League
Chris Byfield