Manchester United under-23s manager Neil Wood has highlighted the club’s plans for young star Hannibal Mejbri after his impressive EFL Trophy debut last night against Salford City which saw him bag one goal and provide two assists.
Wood who manages Mejbri in the club’s under-23s squad has taken some of the expectation off the young star’s shoulders ahead of next season as he confirms the 17-year-old still has a lot of work to do before stepping into the first-team.
Mejbri is arguably one of United’s most exciting youth prospects after the club paid a whopping £9m to secure his services from AS Monaco last summer, as per TransferMarkt.
Often drawing comparisons to world-class midfielder Paul Pogba due to his similar attributes and playing style, Mejbri has thoroughly impressed in his first year with United’s academy.
The highly-rated midfielder made his competitive EFL Trophy debut last night as the young Reds thrashed Gary Neville’s Salford City 6-0 with Mejbri being directly involved in three of the goals.
Speaking in light of Mejbri’s impressive debut, as quoted by Manchester Evening News under-23s manager Wood said: “As much as he’s a good player there’s still a long way to go with Hannibal, he’s still got a lot of learning to do, a lot of improving.
“You can see the good bits of his play, he’s got great feet, he’s got great vision, he’s tenacious, but there’s still work to be done with him.
“I wouldn’t get carried away and say he’s going to be in the first team, but he’s willing to work, he’s willing to improve, he’s got a very good understanding of the game and a very good understanding of what he needs to get better at as well.”
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