“We are going to speak to him” – Club manager warning for Manchester United’s youngster over awkward decisions that could jeopardize Coach game plan
“We are going to speak to him” – Club manager warning for Manchester United’s youngster over awkward decisions that could jeopardize Coach game plan
Birmingham manager John Eustace will speak to Manchester United’s Hannibal Mejbri about avoiding the attention of referees.
Hannibal, 19, signed for Birmingham on a season-long loan this summer in search of regular first-team minutes. Hannibal has made four starts in the Championship and has appeared in every match since signing for the club.
The midfielder started against Queens Park Rangers, who are second in the Championship, on Friday night and he played a key role in his side defeating the London club 2-0 at St. Andrew’s.
Hannibal was substituted in the second half, but the decision to replace him was not tactical, as the player had received a yellow card earlier in the game and manager Eustance believed he was in danger of being sent off.
The Tunisian built a reputation for being a fiery character in United’s academy and he was yellow-carded during his brief cameo against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League in April, which drew praise from Gary Neville and Bryan Robson.
Birmingham boss Eustance has warned that Hannibal will need to learn to control his aggression on the pitch.
“I was contemplating bringing him [Hannibal] off at half-time, if I am going to be honest,” Eustance said after the match. “I spoke to him, spoke to the staff and he assured me he’d be OK. I think it lasted about four minutes.
“It’s something we have got to watch but he plays on the edge, that’s why he’s so good, a top player. I am certainly not going to stop him from doing what he does but he has to realise the importance of managing the games at times.
“He is a 19-year-old footballer, he is learning his trade and we are going to speak to him about it for sure. There were lots of cynical fouls going on in the first half from both teams, Hanni got booked early on, I get that.
“He didn’t get sent off so it makes no difference to me, we brought him off because he was running the risk and that’s it. He might have got sent off on another day and when he made that tackle I thought ‘I have got to get him off’.”
