Director happy to land £14m Manchester United ace he’s liked ‘for a long time’

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Hannibal Mejbri’s move from Premier League giants Manchester United to La Liga strugglers Sevilla sees former Leeds director Victor Orta get his mitts on a midfielder he has admired from afar for a number of years.

And, make no mistake, there is certainly a place in Sevilla’s squad for a footballer of Hannibal Mejbri’s physical and technical qualities.

Stuck in 17^th place and only one point above the relegation zone, the Manchester United loanee brings some enthusiasm, some exuberance and some much-needed bite to an ageing and increasingly ineffective midfield. 15 years Ivan Rakitic’s junior. And 16 years younger than the former Man City enforcer Fernando.

Hannibal Mejbri leaves Old Trafford for Andalusia on an initial loan deal, though Sevilla can sign the tough-tackling Tunisia international for a cool £14 million should he impress on Spanish soil.

And Orta, who played a major role in Leeds’ return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, is delighted to get his hands on a player who first caught his eye while crunching into tackles and dictating the play for United’s under-18s.

Manchester United send Hannibal Mejbri to Sevilla

“I have known him for a long time,” Orta tells the Sevilla website.

“We saw him when he played for Manchester United’s under-18s during my time in England. He has been growing, he knows how to handle things maturely.”

The Red Devils stumped up £9 million to sign a 16-year-old Hannibal from Monaco back in 2019. And, while he may have been allowed to depart by Erik ten Hag, it speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded behind the scenes that United were keen to include a £30 million buy back clause into his Sevilla contract.

Hannibal joined in Spain by Mateo Mejia

“At 16 years old, (Manchester United) paid 10 million euros for him, which is a record,” Orta adds. “And we have a purchase option. Something that always assures you that, if the player (impresses), you can make an effort to buy him.”

Hannibal has now been joined at Sevilla by Mateo Mejia. The winger – a regular this season with Man United’s Under-23s – moves to last season’s Europa League conquerors for free.