There are three head coaches who must be currently smiling over the great form of Hannibal Mejbri in England’s Championship.
First, there is Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman will already be pleased with the progress Manchester United are making in the English Premier League but will know all about how the 19-year-old, loaned out by the club in August, is making a name for himself one tier down at Birmingham City. Blues boss John Eustace is certainly delighted as the teenager continues to shine in the Championship. And then there is Tunisia manager Jalel Kadri, looking on with satisfaction ahead of the World Cup.
Until recently, most English fans knew of the teenage Tunisian due to his six-minute cameo for United against Liverpool in April’s 4-0 loss at Anfield when he was praised by Gary Neville for his aggression after coming off the bench.
“To be fair at least the kid’s showing something,” the former Red Devil said live on television. “Honestly, it takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint to the ball and put a challenge in. I’m actually proud of him. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of Liverpool passing around him, I wish the others were the same.”
Despite such praise and with a new boss coming in, first-team appearances were always going to be tough to come by this season at Old Trafford. At the end of August, Mejbri completed a season-long loan with Birmingham, who beat off interest from a number of other English clubs. The Blues started slowly with just five points coming from the first seven games but results and performances have improved considerably since, pushing the West Midlands club into mid-table. Given how close the unpredictable league is, a push for the playoffs is not out of the question.
The bushy-haired midfielder is already a favorite of fans at St. Andrews, who have taken to social media to sing his praises, and has featured 11 times already this campaign, with Eustace keen to ease him into the team gradually and rest the energetic but technically-gifted youngster whenever necessary.
“Hanni is a fantastic player,” said Eustace, a tough-tackling midfielder himself in his day as a player in England. “He plays on the edge and the personality he brings onto that pitch is something very special, so I’m certainly not going to change anything about that as he’ll get better with experience … it’s all new challenges and experiences for him, about his learning and development.”
There is still work to be done and Mejbri, who has been called a “dynamo” can get a little overexcited to an extent that even Gary Neville would warn against. He starred in the first half last month in a win against high-flying Queen’s Park Rangers though opposition boss Michael Beale believes that the French-born Tunisian international should have received a second yellow card before he was subbed off.
“I like that boy,” Beale said. “He has got loads of personality and I have seen him play, he is a good player, he gets a little bit excited and I think John had his heart in his mouth and obviously he made the right call to get him off. As I say I don’t want to sit here and talk about a boy getting sent off but I think the referee has got to do his job there.”
Eustace has defended his budding star, saying that while he will not ask Mejbri to change his style, the player must realize the importance of managing the games at times.”
Gaining experience is what a loan move is all about and while it may not be too long until he is back at Old Trafford, in the short term, there is a bigger stage to aim for.
Tunisia kick off their World Cup campaign on Nov. 22 against Denmark, take on Australia four days later and then face France in the final Group D game. Mejbri has played 18 times for the Carthage Eagles though, unsurprisingly given his age, has yet to become an automatic starter.
Starring in the Championship could help change that, but for now at least he is showing the boss that he could be an option from the bench as Tunisia look to get out of the group stage for the first time in their sixth World Cup appearance.
National team coach Kadri is keeping a close eye on the youngster. “What matters is the choices of Hannibal and his club to make him improve,” Kadri told the BBC.
“His improvement wouldn’t be possible if he continues at Manchester United as he will not be playing as much as possible to improve, so it was the best choice for him.”
It certainly seems to be that way and at the moment Hannibal Mejbri is flying and Birmingham, Manchester United and Tunisian fans will be keeping a close eye on his exploits in Qatar.