In what was an otherwise bitterly disappointing month for United fans, these two strikes by the United midfield pair were rare bright spots amidst a sea of negativity.

Eight stunning September strikes. Only one can reign supreme.

Who are you backing for @premierleague x @Budweiser Goal of the Month pic.twitter.com/m0LlUm5hZZ

— Budweiser Football (@budfootball) October 5, 2023

Hannibal’s vicious strike from distance came as a consolation goal in a disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Brighton. 

It did ignite a spark in the Tunisian midfielder’s Old Trafford career, however, with Hannibal firmly placing himself in Erik ten Hag’s thoughts following this moment.

A fantastic match against Burnley saw the youngster cover the most distance by any player in the league this season; a performance Ten Hag labelled as “perfect.”

This game was won through Fernandes’ ridiculous volley.

Striking a ball with that clean and accurate a connection, dropping over your shoulder, is one of the hardest technical feats in football. United’s captain made it look like another day at the office such was the aplomb with which it left his boot.

It proved a decisive moment as United ran out 1-0 winners in a game they could have lost without Fernandes’ contribution.

While Hannibal’s goal was a special moment individually for the youngster, Fernandes’ volley was a different level to anything else produced this month.

A worthy winner for which United fans can vote here.

The full list of nominees:

• • Hannibal Mejbri v Brighton
  • Jhon Duran v Crystal Palace
  • Leandro Trossard v Everton
  • Callum Hudson-Odoi v Burnley
  • Bruno Fernandes v Burnley
  • Miguel Almiron v Burnley
  • Joachim Andersen v Man Utd
  • Julian Alvarez v Wolves

The post Two nominations from Manchester United for goal of the the month appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

United kickstarted their European campaign in a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Ahead of the Galatasaray clash, Erik ten Hag emphasized that it was a must-win affair to give his side the best possible chance of making it out of the group.

Ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal.

In defence, Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat formed the backline.

Casemiro, Hannibal Mejbri and Mason Mount consisted United’s midfield trio.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line and was flanked by Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes on either wing. Here are four things we learned from Manchester United’s 3-2 loss against Galatasaray.

Mount and Hojlund superb

For the third game in a row since his return from injury, Mount had a good performance.

The Englishman started in the 10 as United’s most advanced player in the middle of the park. As is the norm with Mount, he worked extremely hard off the ball.

When the Red Devils were not in possession, the former Chelsea man pressed well and aggressively.

He tracked back whenever required and ensured United were not overrun in midfield. He also did well creatively. In the first half, the 24-year-old produced a stunning through ball from deep to a running Hojlund to send the goalscorer through on goal.

Unfortunately, Hojlund could not bring the ball under his spell, which gave the Galatasaray goalkeeper the chance to clean up and neutralize the threat.

Mount’s display vs. the Turkish giants comes off the back of yet another commendable display against Crystal Palace on Saturday and before that in the Carabao Cup.

He seems to be one of the few players Ten Hag can rely on to deliver at a high level on a consistent basis.

Alongside Mount, Hojlund was also excellent. The Dane opened the scoring for United via a fantastic header in the first half. It was his second goal in as many games in the Champions League. While he is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League, Europe’s grand stage appears to not be much trouble to him.

He thought he grabbed a brace but he was deemed to have been offside before dispatching the ball into the back of the net.

Hojlund however did get his second goal soon enough when he cleverly chipped the ball above Fernando Muslera.

Beyond the goal, his hold-up play was sensational.

Hojlund kept the ball well which allowed his teammates to come into play. Like Mount, his work rate was redoubtable.

The 20-year-old is steadily growing in confidence and stature. The onus is on others to fashion more clear-cut opportunities for him.

Hannibal struggled

Before the game, Ten Hag explained that Hannibal’s selection in the starting XI was due to the energy he usually injects into the team.

He certainly ran and covered the hard yards, albeit to no successful effect.

The Tunisian seemed to be slightly below the level of some of his more senior colleagues, an occurrence that is of course expected due to his young age and relative inexperience.

He did not offer much on the ball, and it was no surprise he was taken off during the interval.

Hannibal’s below-par performance was made even more glaring by just how big of an impact Christian Eriksen made when he came on.

The 31-year-old Denmark international showed his technical class and ability by just how well he was spraying the ball from deep.

Genuine concerns about Rashford’s form

In yet another game, Marcus Rashford was poor despite getting off to a good start with an assist.

The same concerns that have been raised about his performances in recent games came to the fore vs. Galatasaray.

He still found it hard to get past his man and his efforts off the ball were not satisfactory.

In an instance during the game, he was set on his way by Casemiro in a fantastic counter-attack for the Reds. He made the right decision to hand over the ball to Fernandes who had arrived inside the box but his pass was poor and lacked the weight needed to reach its intended target.

As a result, a good opportunity was sent begging.

He was taken off and Alejandro Garnacho was brought on. The Argentine teenager was much better than Rashford despite being on the pitch for only a few minutes.

So far this season, Rashford has only managed one goal in all competitions – a far cry from the sensational goalscoring from he was in last term.

He seems to be lacking confidence as evidenced by the way his head drops and shoulders shrug whenever things don’t go his way.

Fans are right to be worried about the 25-year-old’s output and performances in recent games.

Onana was shambolic

Against Bayern, Onana took responsibility for United’s loss in Germany.

He undoubtedly also played a big part in the team’s defeat at Galatasaray’s hands. A hospital pass from him to Casemiro that was intercepted by a rival player forced the Brazilian to commit and tackle strongly inside the box, resulting in a red card.

Galatasaray were awarded a penalty. Luckily, Mauro Icardi missed.

Icardi however made amends soon after when he dinked the ball past the United shot-stopper. He could certainly have done better to keep Icardi’s shot out.

In truth, the same could be said of Galatasaray’s second goal.

The Cameroonian was shambolic and was culpable in the defeat at Old Trafford that has now left United bottom of the group without a point, and with a mountain to climb to get through to the next round of the competition.

The post Four things we learned as Man United suffer devastating 3-2 loss against Galatasaray appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

There are reasons, of course, and they are not excuses. An unprecedented injury crisis, three wingers unavailable for off-pitch reasons and a lack of support from the club in the transfer market. But there are also areas where the boss himself has to hold his hands up and admit he got it wrong. Here are three we think are clear.

1. Amrabat must play in midfield.

Obviously the full back injury crisis at United leaves few options and Amrabat at left back is arguably better than any other option right now. But it comes at the expense of not having him in midfield, where he can be most effective and ease the burden on Casemiro, who has been struggling this season.

He is inverting from left back to create an extra man in midfield but it is not an ideal solution. Diogo Dalot is a competent left back and Victor Lindelof can play right back, so a Varane-Maguire or Varane-Evans centre-back partnership, while not ideal, could be a solution.

Another possibility is to play Casemiro at centre back, which in one sense defeats the object but in another allows for Amrabat’s extra energy and mobility to invigorate the midfield.

A third option would be to switch to three at the back and employ, say, Antony or Mount and Dalot as wing backs. Casemiro and Amrabat could then partner up in midfield with Bruno Fernandes ahead of them and Rashford, Hojlund and one other would form the cutting edge. Which brings us to …

2. Fernandes must play at number 8/10

Ten Hag’s efforts to adjust the side due to the injuries and accommodating the likes of Mount have sometimes resulted this season in Bruno being pushed out wide right. Again, as in the case of Amrabat at left back, he may have been the best option in the position at the time but it has come at the expense of not having him in the 8/10 where he is lethal.

There is sometimes a case for Bruno playing deeper but rarely for playing him wider. He needs to be the heartbeat of the United side and dictate play, which no-one can do from the wing.

3. Hannibal and Pellistri are not the answer

Social media is full of calls today for Hannibal to be brought back into the side because of the energy he brings. But as we reported here recently, despite those commendable and record-breaking displays of energy, there has been very little in terms of creative product from the Tunisian. As stated above, Bruno Fernandes is one of the best CAM’s in the world, he needs to be there. If he is unavailable, arguably it would even be worth giving Donny van de Beek another chance to reproduce the form he showed in that position at Ajax that left him a whisker away from joining Real Madrid.

Pellistri is a neat and tidy player but unfortunately, unless he develops late, his slight physique is going to make it very difficult for him to succeed in the Premier League. Now that Antony is back, he is likely to make way and frankly he could be going the Anthony Elanga route now after failing to seize his chance in the first team.

Energy and enthusiasm are in short supply right now so it is natural that the manager looks to young hopefuls who have bags of both. But if the quality is not there, ultimately this will be a hollow pursuit. Ten Hag must instead focus on instilling the same enthusiasm in his world class players rather than trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

The post Three things Erik ten Hag must stop doing for Manchester United to progress appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

The 20-year-old Tunisian began his career as a Monaco youth prospect, before switching to Manchester in 2019, for a €10 million fee.

For a youth player, that was a substantial investment – one that Hannibal now looks set to repay.

He’s taken to his breakthrough Premier League campaign as though he belongs at this level, but it was on loan with Birmingham City in the Championship that the player really established himself.

For a 19-year-old, the Championship can be quite challenging and any young players sent there to learn their trade must display exceptional courage and athletic prowess.

Hannibal passed the test, eventually making 41 appearances across the season.

From his initiation ceremony at Birmingham, where he instantly became a favourite for his confident delivery of a song sang in both French and English, it was clear that the midfielder would not be cowed by the sense of occasion.

Now, in an interview conducted by The Manchester Evening News, Matt Gardiner, assistant head coach at Birmingham, has offered some insights on Hannibal’s character and journey to the Premier League.

“He was always trying to learn and he regularly did extras, which I loved about him. He’d do a lot of extra technical points after training,” he said.

“He’d work on things like match shooting, taking the ball under pressure or working on his weaker foot, or whatever the topic was for that particular week. We helped him but he really helped himself during his time here,” he added.

On the midfielder’s character, Gardiner’s praise was unequivocal, saying:

“His fearlessness really stood out. I would say that and his hunger to always win, even in the games in training…”

“You have to have the talent but you have to have the hunger as well, which Hannibal has no shortage of.”

By now, most Man United fans will be well-acquainted with the Tunisia international’s passion and hunger. But there’s more in store, as according to Gardiner:

“His set-pieces were great and he had the courage to take them in pressure situations.”

“We do unique meetings to prepare before every game.”

“We look through the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and if you look at Hannibal’s first assist for the club, which came against Stoke, it appears to be a simple corner which hits the far post, but it’s an example of his different deliveries.

“His technique is outstanding and his range of deliveries, from corners and free-kicks, was a real strength for us.”

Hannibal’s introduction into the United first team has come under less than ideal conditions.

Having successfully adjusted to the realities of the professional game, he’ll now have to adjust to the difficulties of playing for a team going through tremendous uncertainty.

If Gardiner’s testimony is anything to go by, however, he’ll fancy his chances.

The post The inside Story of Hannibal Mejbri’s arrival at Old Trafford appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Mejbri made the headlines for running 12.9km in the game, which is more than any United player since records started being collected in 2019.

He also made 104 presses, the most by any Premier League player this season.

Pellistri, meanwhile, has been earning plaudits for his recent performances, with many fans on social media lauding him as an upgrade on the disgraced Jadon Sancho and Antony.

Injuries and other absences left Erik ten Hag with little option other than to give the two youngsters a chance, and it was certainly worth seeing what they have to offer. But despite claims that they have both done enough to earn a regular place in the first team (for example, from Sky Sports), question marks must still hover over each.

First, Hannibal. He scored a superb goal for United against Arsenal and his work rate, as demonstrated by the figures above, certainly is impressive. But to be a Manchester United player, you need more than workrate.

His figures for his 58 minutes of Premier League action this season do show some level of effectiveness, but Tuesday’s figures look remarkably bare despite all that running and pressing: zero shots, zero key passes, zero big chances created.

Pellistri has good technique and is another hard worker, but his season stats so far make for grim reading: 13 minutes’ football in the Premier League, 81 minutes in the Champions League and 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday have yielded zero goals, zero assists, zero big chances created, zero key passes, zero accurate long balls and one big chance missed.

Neat and tidy his performances may have been, but these figures speak to a total lack of danger as an attacker.

Hannibal will be 21 years old in January and Pellistri is already 21. This places them 18 months – 2 years older than, say, Alejandro Garnacho, 3 years older than Kobbie Mainoo, and just a few months younger than Mason Greenwood. Two years older than Paul Pogba was when he moved to Juventus the first time.

Obviously, different players develop at different paces and the pair are still in the early stages of their journeys. But are either of them any better than, say, Jesse Lingard, or Andreas Pereira, or Anthony Elanga were at the same age? Are we looking at two more “close, but no cigar” academy graduates who will have good careers without setting the world on fire?

It will be interesting to compare and contrast Mainoo and Amad Diallo’s impact on first team duty with these two when they return from injury.

That final leap from starlet to star at a club like Manchester United is undoubtedly the hardest of them all. Hannibal and Pellistri are tantalisingly close to making it, but it feels as if there needs to be a little bit more magic on display for either of them to really make the grade.

The post Do Hannibal Mejbri and Facundo Pellistri have what it takes at Man United? appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Hannibal has started United’s two previous games against Burnley at Turf Moor and more recently, during a Carabao Cup clash vs. Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

These starts came off the back of the midfielder scoring his first Premier League goal in a 3-1 defeat for United at the hands of Brighton.

He came on from the bench vs. the Seagulls and produced a fantastic rocket which only served to be a consolation prize for his side.

Since then, the Tunisian seems to be growing in confidence and stature within the team.

An analysis covered by The Peoples Person revealed Hannibal’s record-breaking numbers with respect to pressing and running, which have certainly helped United turn the tide and register a few wins after a consecutive run of defeats.

It was previously relayed that talks had been opened between the club and representatives of the Carrington academy graduate over a new and improved deal.

Hannibal’s current contract expires in 2024, although there is an option to extend his terms by one year until 2025.

United are however keen to safeguard his future and keep him at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.

This has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano who explains that Ten Hag is a huge admirer of Hannibal to the extent that he went out of his way to keep him at the club despite interest in the player from other parties.

Romano reports, “Erik ten Hag trusts the 20-year-old midfielder who is doing very well.”

“What I can reveal to you is that during the summer Sevilla wanted the player on loan from Man United, but it was ten Hag who said no, he wanted to keep Hannibal in the squad to give him some chances.”

“From what I’m hearing, Sevilla are still there, still hopeful of having the player on loan in January if the situation changes.

“Hannibal is very happy at United. He loves the opportunity he’s been getting and he’s very happy with the current situation there and with Erik ten Hag.”

The transfer guru then reiterated that United are set to offer Hannibal a new and significant contract.

The post Fabrizio Romano: Erik ten Hag said “no” to Sevilla loan move for Hannibal Mejbri appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

He scored his first Premier League goal during United’s 1-3 defeat against Brighton at Old Trafford.

He followed it up with a surprise start at Turf Moor against Burnley, where he caught the eye with his performance.

Hannibal was also included in the starting XI that beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

The Tunisian has been integral to United’s efforts as they have now won two on the trot that have certainly relieved the pressure that was mounting on Erik ten Hag and his team.

In particular, the midfielder’s work-rate and intensity have earned him praise from the manager and supporters.

After the Burnley game, Ten Hag told journalists that Hannibal was “perfect” and did the job that was required of him.

An analysis conducted by Sky Sports revealed that the 20-year-old covered ran an astonishing 12.9 kilometres against Burnley at Turf Moor.

No other United player has covered such a distance this season.

Even more impressive is that the 12.9 kilometres is further than any United star has managed since Ten Hag took over the club’s reins last summer.

Sky Sports further added that the distance is more than any United player has run since such records started being collected in 2019.

Hannibal’s pressing numbers also make for incredible reading. His ability to close off players and force the opposition into mistakes has enabled the Red Devils to reclaim possession and play on the front foot.

Pressing and working hard off the ball is an aspect of the game Ten Hag has always emphasized and Hannibal is certainly coming up with the goods in this respect.

Against the Clarets, he completed a mind-blowing 104 pressures – the most by any player in a Premier League match this campaign.

Sky explains, “Factor in his cameo against Brighton and Mejbri is averaging 100 pressures per 90 minutes – the next man on the list is Rasmus Hojlund with 79.”

The thing that stuck out is that Hannibal does not just jog while enacting his defensive responsibilities. He sprints.

This is evidenced by the number of sprinting pressures – those where the presser reaches a sustained speed in excess of 25 kilometres per hour.

Hannibal tops the charts in this category at 14.4 sprinting pressures.

Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier ranks in second place at 13.5 springing pressures.

Earlier this month Ten Hag said, “To keep a game under control, to dominate an opponent, the pressing has to be right. We want to play proactive football, to play dynamic football. Pressing is a part of it.”

Hannibal is a living embodiment of this principle and it’s no surprise he’s finding joy in terms of first-team minutes and his growing status within the team.

The post Hannibal Mejbri’s record-breaking numbers for Man United underline his importance appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

90min reveal talks are ongoing between the Tunisian midfielder’s representatives and Old Trafford officials.

A report covered by The Peoples Person earlier in the summer had revealed the initiation of these talks, though negotiations may have ramped up in recent weeks as a result of the midfielder’s impressive form and other clubs potentially beginning to circle.

Mejbri’s current contract is set to expire in 2024, though the club retain the right to extend this by a further season if necessary.

According to sources at United, however, club officials do not want to have to exercise this option. Instead, they would prefer to tie the talented youngster down to a new contract, securing Mejbri’s long-term future at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag is reported to be a “fan” of the midfielder and keen to see a successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Mejbri has established himself firmly in the Dutchman’s plans over the last few weeks, following a spate of injuries throughout the squad.

The Tunisian came off the bench in the disappointing loss to Brighton to score a fantastic consolation goal.

He was then rewarded with the starting berth in the number ten role a week later against Burnley, displacing Bruno Fernandes who was moved out to the right.

Mejbri’s energy and physicality in this game were refreshing additions to a lethargic midfield, with his intelligent and creative use of the ball a stark contrast to the inept display of Scott McTominay.

After the hard-fought 1-0 win, Ten Hag described Mejbri’s performance as “perfect.”

The Dutch manager will be relieved to see the services of a player capable of delivering perfect midfield performances secured on a long-term basis.

The post Hannibal Mejbri in talks over a new Manchester United contract appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Captain Bruno Fernandes scored the game’s only goal with a fantastic left-footed volley from a brilliant pass by Jonny Evans from defence. A goal that highlighted the benefits of going direct at times.

For now, the three points lifted them into the top half of the table and will have eased the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

ETH tactical tweaks seemed unnecessary

However, the performance was far from good as the team struggled to create opportunities while generally being very slow in the build-up, allowing Burnley to dictate the tempo.

A few changes were forced on the manager with Evans starting for United after eight years due to Lisandro Martinez’s foot injury prior to the game.

Hannibal Mejbri started for only the second time in his career, but for some strange reason, he was played as the attacking midfielder while Bruno Fernandes was shunted out wide.

Even last season, the manager was guilty of playing his most creative outlet out wide instead of using him where he is best suited.

The Portuguese did score while the Tunisian tried his hardest and covered a lot of ground but it does not make sense to change something that is the only thing that consistently delivers.

Hopefully, from the next game, Fernandes will be restored to his No 10 position while Mason Mount can make his recovery and play on the right and allow the team to keep its natural shape.

The current diamond formation hardly allows for any width and slows the tempo down and is not really conducive for the fast counters through the wingers.

Injury concerns mounting

However, the victory came at some cost as Sergio Reguilon became the latest victim of an injury as he seemed to come off with a hamstring issue.

Only time will tell whether it is a serious problem or one he can recover from quickly. United are currently without four out of five full-backs.

So dire is the situation with full-backs that Sofyan Amrabat, brought in to add steel to the midfield, ended up making his debut and playing as the left-back in the dying moments of the game.

Up next for United is a Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace as they look to defend their crown. It will be intriguing to see what defence he picks with most players struggling with injury.

The post Erik ten Hag’s tactical tweaks in the No 10 position did not work appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

United fell to a 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford courtesy of goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Groß and Joao Pedro.

Hannibal was United’s only scorer.

The Tunisian came on in the second half of the match and did well during the few minutes he was on the pitch, with the goal scored in the 73rd minute his most notable contribution.

Ten Hag spoke to reporters after the match and praised Hannibal.

The United boss reiterated that the academy graduate did exactly what he was brought on to do – inject energy in the middle of the park and make a positive impact.

Hannibal’s goal vs. the Seagulls marks his first in the Premier League.

The 20-year-old took to social media where he wrote, “Years of work went into that moment to score a goal for this incredible club.”

“Impossible to enjoy it without the team getting the result we wanted.”

Hannibal will undoubtedly be hoping that his cameo will put him in Ten Hag’s thinking for a more prominent role in the team in future games.

With the Red Devils currently grappling with a number of players out either through injuries or out-of-the-pitch issues, the player has a chance at playing more minutes.

This is especially the case considering just how woeful Scott McTominay was. The Scotland international started the clash but was hardly convincing.

For United, all attention now shifts to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The post “Impossible to enjoy”: Hannibal Mejbri reacts after scoring Man United’s only goal vs. Brighton appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.