In a season where it has been tough to point out positives about Man United, Hannibal Mejbri has been shining recently, and we caught up with Paul Parker who shared his thoughts on the youngster.
Hannibal scored his first goal for Man United against Brighton, and he was in the starting lineup for the first time against Burnley, where the young midfielder left an impressive performance.
Former Man United defender, Paul Parker was very impressed with the midfielder, and we talked to him about Hannibal’s strengths.
Parker also shared his thoughts on Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund and Facundo Pellistri who the Englishman points out as some of the positives for Man United.
‘Hannibal Brings Enthusiasm And Willingness’
Enthusiasm, hard work and willingness. These are three things that Parker thinks Hannibal brings to the Man United team, who according to the Englishman has been lacking in the Man United squad.
“Hannibal brings enthusiasm and a willingness to want to be on the ball. He is working so hard and he is running past people, who started earlier than him.
“He gets into dangerous areas and he works seriously, seriously hard. It was an ugly game against Burnley and it must be a tough game for a young lad but he managed it so incredibly well.
“People were already ready to make up excuses for him and say that the game was too big for him but in fact, it looked like it was for a lot of the other so called big names who the game was too big for.
“He was involved in the build up play and he also tried to get an end product added to his game.”
‘He Has A Big Future Ahead Of Him’
Parker says that he is even more impressed with Hannibal due to the fact that he was able to stand out in the Championship which is a very tough league.
“I saw Hannibal on many occasions for Birmingham in the Championship and I knew he would be a good player for Man United.
“It’s not easy to stand out in the Championship because it’s a serious, serious, tough league and especially for him who everyone wanted to see fail because he was a Manchester United player.
“You can never question his attitude and he has a huge future ahead of him.”
Only Three Players Were Working Hard Against Burnley
Parker has been questioning the Man United players’ attitude before but now he makes a bold statement. Despite the win against Burnley, he claims that only three players were working hard.
“I think I have to mention three players who worked hard against Burnley. Hannibal, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund. Bruno Fernandes scored the goal but I’m talking more about his work rate, which was incredible.
“Hojlund never stopped working hard even though he didn’t have the best game. But it doesn’t matter in the end. It’s about having the right mentality and he definitely has a mentality that will take him a long way at this club.
“Given his age, I’m so impressed with his mentality and he will only improve from here. He also suffers under the fact that it’s only a few players who want to help him.”
Pellistri Needs A Run While Being Comfortable And Confident
A few weeks ago Parker advocated for giving Pellistri a chance in the starting lineup, which he still thinks but he adds that it’s important for a young player to feel comfortable.
“I’m hoping that Pellistri can get a run and be involved in a winning team. It’s important to remember that when we are speaking of a young and inexperienced lad like him that he needs to feel confident and comfortable.
“So, even though I hope he will get a run as a starter, I can understand if Erik ten Hag wants to wait until the team actually looks good. But it’s a bit of a chicken or the egg, you know. Will Erik ten Hag have to give Pellistri the chance to get better results? We have seen how well Hannibal has done.
“Because if we have to wait until the results and the play gets better, we never know if or when he will get the chance.
“I think that Pellistri just needs the belief from the manager and I think his attitude tells me that he can do well.”
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