Ok and he's not as good as Mahrez at 25 so what's your point?
Hannibal Mejbri - Manchester United Player
- Thread starter IrishRedDevil
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Ok and he's not as good as Mahrez at 25 so what's your point?
It is unfair to compare a player like Mahrez, which we have seen what level he has reached, to a player who hasn't reached his peak yet and still put up better numbers in his last 2 seasons than Mahrez has ever done.
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Yeah. I didn't think Keane was good enough and still don't but then you look at the player's he was picking instead. How many random youngsters did he play at fullback as well? Basically every player in the academy.
I mean there's plus sides to it but unless you're aiming for mid table it's not a good strategy for success. Even long term you end up in a cycle of constantly blooding young players at the expense of getting the benefit of the ones you brought through 3-4 years ago. Sort of thing Ajax do because they aren't in a competitive enough league.
Sir Alex didn't just throw youngsters in on a whim either. Mostly he'd go with experience but would trust a youngster IF they were good enough to hold their own, or came in and did well when someone else was injured etc... And it would depend on who else we had as options. Rossi was a fantastic young talent but barely got a look in because we had Ronaldo, Rooney, Ruud, etc.
It's going to be tough for Mejbri because he's a forward thinking player and we're very top heavy with attacking talent...and central midfield where we are light is not the place to blood a youngster in the PL. Particularly when we often leave ourselves outnumbered there. I hope he gets a chance here and there to see how he does because he's too good for the reserves really, but not a situation I'd get on Ole's back about
Have we? I think Mahrez' best season so far was last year, who's to say he won't improve more? And better numbers should have an important qualifier...in Germany.
People saying he's not polished enough to start in midfield while Scott McTominay starts most games he's fit. Hannibal constantly shows for the ball and has the confidence to make progressive passes both things that McT doesn't do well. He's also a very good carrier and draws loads of fouls a la Grealish. There isn't a whole lot to lose here. McTominay is not the defensive collossus people think he is just because he's big and tall. Also even if you think Hannibal isn't 'polished' enough, what is the harm in having him in the squad for those games where United take unassailable leads and at least give him development minutes in games where confidence is high and you need to give the starting midfielders a rest..
I think you're underestimating Sancho. There's every reason to believe he'll have a career just as good as most of those based on his output as an U21 player. Don't have the stats to hand but I'd imagine based on top level goals and assists before the age of 21 he's ahead of every single one of them.
I think the importance of every single game we play this season will mean he and many others get a very limited chance in the first team. In the league, we are really talking about 10 minutes at the end of games where the win is not at stake and even then, it’s more likely that other attacking players get a run out to boost their confidence And maybe try get a goal. Now with the summer window we have had, expectations have never been higher and Ole is being told left right and centre he has to win something. If that’s the Carabao Cup then he would take it so considering how reserved Ole has been this far, and how every game is going to be a must win...Even if the Matic and Fred really are poor midfield options.. I don’t see Hannibal getting the look in he needs. I really think he could be one of those young players who just steps in seemlessly like Jones or Elliot at Liverpool or Gilmore at Chelsea or how Foden was introduced. Not sure why we can’t get our teenagers in unless injuries play a part.
What does McTommy have to do with Mejbri? Completely different players and they’d never compete for a starting spot. It’s Bruno, Pogba, Sancho, Greenwood he’s up against. So where does he fit in for his rivals? As we shall never see Bruno, Pogba and Mejbri as our midfield. There will always be the need for a worker or 2 in there.
There are other formations that can be played that don't require a double pivot, particularly against lesser opposition. Regardless, McTominay's as much a defensive midfielder as Hannibal is in that he's not. McTominay is a box to box midfielder who's main strength is his shooting and carrying to a lesser extent. His off the ball movement is bad, he doesn't press much, doesn't tackle much and he lets runners in behind him. I see Hannibal as being better able to do both the things McTominay is reasonably good at in addition to passing which means he could bring more value. Hannibal is quite combative too although he'll need more top level minutes to judge if he's good or bad defensively.
Do you mean less combative? That's the other thing with the senior game, he'll have to deal with less of the off-the-ball stuff. You can't pull a person's hair and get away with it and there's less appetite at the highest level for the persistent fouling that Hannibal gets targeted with in underage games.Needs to work on being more combative judging from the reds of late
As brilliant he is, midfield isn't an easy position to come and perform. If he doesn't perform well, that would affect his confidence . I don't think we would get an easier game than Young Boys at home this season. Let's see if he starts that .
I was being sarcastic...never mind.
With regard to the latter point, he'll still be targeted for persistent fouls. He has to learn to be above it or he won't make it at this level...simple. He's not the first to be fouled consistently
Wait till we play Norwich...
Yeah, but I don't think Ole would risk in epl. If we can get some wins in CL, the last game will be a dead rubber
Yeah, that's true but it's also a bit easier to take if the fouls are being called and appropriate punishments are being meted out to the opposition players involved. Some of the fouls Hannibal has suffered without penalty would turn Gandhi into Cantona.
He’s not in the squad, is he?
We're away tomorrow so presume he meant the last gruop game but he is in the CL B-list squad along with Elanga, Mengi, Kovar & Greenwood.
Ah. Ok. Cool.
Yeah well call me a cynic but I don't put a lot of stock in someone banging in goals in Germany. Rooney was the brightest talent in Euro 2004 at the age of 18, scored 3 goals and got an assist in his CL debut for United while not fully fit. Ronaldo well, I don't think I need to tell you that Sancho won't be a better player than Ronaldo. Giggs won his first league title in 1993 at the age of 19 and won the next 2 out of 3 for good measure. To me they're the kinds of things that are properly memorable.
Sancho will be a fine player but as it stands he's rated as England's 5th best winger or something. That will change for sure but it hardly marks you out as "generational" in my view.
You're talking about a 21 year old. Somebody could have had the same view of Ronaldo at that same age except Sancho's output is actually better. My point is you don't know if he'll have a trajectory like Ronaldo's or like Michael Owen's. All we can base it on is his ability right now vs those players at the same age and he is outperforming most of them on a personal level.
Discounting someone banging in that quantum of goals and assists in Germany is just silly. Is the Champions League also not good enough for you? Presume you'd pass on Haaland and Lewandowski in that case too although funnily both seem to do just as well in CL and International level?
Also, Giggs winning leagues at 19 has nothing to do with his ability. Sancho has been in strong teams at that age but his team just wasn't the one team that can win a league in a given year. Lee Sharpe also won leagues in a given year but do you consider him generational?
Sancho's changed clubs, tactics and changed the only league he's played in. Give him time ffs. He's shown his quality. He was clearly not at full fitness in his first couple of games and has been double/triple teamed. I have every confidence that someone with his talent will start showing his quality sooner rather than later.
He looks way too good for the reserves and in need of a loan. Just send him somewhere where he’ll get games. His value will go up even if there’s still no space for him at United later on.
Ole spent a lot of time cutting the squad back but it’s starting to look a player or two heavy. Think just letting Lingard go for 15-20 would have done you no harm. There’s Donny, Hannibal, and Amad as cover there…
Ole spent a lot of time cutting the squad back but it’s starting to look a player or two heavy. Think just letting Lingard go for 15-20 would have done you no harm. There’s Donny, Hannibal, and Amad as cover there…
Was Lee Sharpe undisputed first choice like Giggs? Did he get better or worse the older he got?
I don't think stats can show you how much potential young Ronaldo had, just like stats probably wouldn't tell you how much better Ronaldinho was than e.g. Pedro. For the avoidance of doubt I am not comparing Pedro to Sancho.
Soon enough PSG, Juventus and Bayern will all be linked then we will be forced to play him a few times. Often how it goes.
And so what? For as long as he doesn’t play for us, his confidence (or lack thereof) is completely irrelevant.
If he plays badly - Ok, put him back on the bench/in reserves, it wouldn’t change anything at all for us. But if he plays well, we get another option to choose from
Sharpe played over 2000 minutes in 93/94 when Giggs was 19 - less than Giggs but that's over 23 90s so you could say he played an influential role in the team. Goals and assists per 90 were only marginally fewer than Giggs and Sharpe was only two years older. Anyways, my point isn't that Sharpe is better than Giggs or that Sancho is better than Ronaldo but that on all available evidence at their age (not in hindsight) Sancho's as accomplished as any of them. Giggs played for the dominant team in England and Sancho plays for the second best team in Germany by a distance so it seems unfair to use medals tallies as a benchmark as to how good two individuals are.
I just think people are using the bias of hindsight to say that Sancho isn't as good as those players listed when their careers are over and his is at the beginning. He had more goals/90 than any of them had in their age 19 season never mind goals + assists/90 of which he had double that of Giggs and only Tevez comes within an asses roar of Sancho (.93 vs 1.30 per 90) in a far inferior league to the Bundesliga.
I agree. If we look at the positions Hannibal is likely to play in for the first team (#10, LW), he''s got Bruno, Pogba, Donny, Rashford, Martial, Sancho, Ronaldo, Lingard and probably Mata ahead of him.
What chance does he have to get any minutes. I think we've hoarded onto too many players this year.
I think you've nailed it. We've hoarded too many players and if I was to speculate, i'd say Solskjaer probably feels he has to show loyalty to the likes of Lingard, Mata etc rather than sideline them for a new kid on the block. And that's not a criticism of Solskjaer because he has to do what's best for himself and eventhough I don't rate Lingard and Mata particularly highly, it seems they're quite popular in the dressing room.
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I always prefer seeing our reserves and youngsters in the Carabao Cup than our first team.
Not that I think we should compare the two, but Hannibal is a midfielder in the way only Pogba is out of that list. Only at United has he been turned into an attacker. His natural position is in a midfield 2. And he's more like Suarez and Rooney when it comes to workrate than he is to Pogba's workrate.
From a few posts on here it sounds like he was totally outplayed by Arsenal's U23s this weekend. So, maybe he is in the right place and he should accept that and work on establishing himself.
If he already thinks he is above it and he isn't performing because of that, then we can get rid. Which is a shame because he does look talented.
Would be awesome if he could develop into a deeper midfielder. He’s so energetic and dynamic, could be a real force there.
Not involved in the youth league game or the first team squad either. Thoughts?
If his actions against Arsenal were a “concerted effort” then he’s fecked.
I also do not share these feelings.
If anything, it seems to me that he has become lazier on the pitch. He was so tenacious when he first came to the club. But now he sometimes just gives a half-hearted effort on defence. But it is just me...
If anything, it seems to me that he has become lazier on the pitch. He was so tenacious when he first came to the club. But now he sometimes just gives a half-hearted effort on defence. But it is just me...
Too much is made of his "spiky" behaviour. Are people forgetting two of the clubs biggest cult heroes (Eric and Keane) were absolute firebrands and did way worse on the field than Hannibal. Hannibal is young and will iron that stuff out when he has to deal with the conseqence of a dressing room of seniors having a go at him.
I can remember the same things being said of Pogba back in his underage days. He probably just needs a challenge.
Yep.
the deeper role might transfer him to a super star! Excited to see how he will develop in that role.
Me too. You were right about Elanga. It's exciting to see him getting game time. He's in the squad tonight and I think we might see him at some point.