Football League World
·15 September 2024
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·15 September 2024
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was among those to react to a social media post from his former team-mate Hannibal Mejbri.
Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire has taken to social media to react to a post from his former team-mate Hannibal Mejbri after Burnley's 1-0 win at Leeds United.
After suffering relegation from the Premier League last season, it has been an eventful start to life back in the Championship for Burnley.
The Clarets comprehensively won their first two games of the campaign, but they lost a number of key players towards the end of the transfer window, including the likes of Wilson Odobert, Sander Berge, Anass Zaroury, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Dara O'Shea, Zeki Amdouni and Vitinho.
There were fears of a mass exodus at Turf Moor, but Burnley did manage to keep hold of some of their stars, such as James Trafford, Josh Brownhill and Luca Koleosho, and they were also able to strengthen themselves.
And after two league matches without a win, the Clarets returned to victorious ways with an impressive 1-0 success over Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday, with Koleosho's 18th-minute strike sealing all three points for Scott Parker's side.
Parker described the win as "a massive three points", claiming that it showed "everything we stand for as a team", and the Lancashire outfit have moved up to fourth in the Championship table, just two points from the automatic promotion places.
While Koleosho's outstanding solo effort proved to be the winner for Burnley on Saturday, it was arguably a moment involving Mejbri that was the biggest talking point of the game.
After Mejbri was substituted for Josh Cullen in the 73rd minute, the 21-year-old could not resist taunting Leeds supporters as he left the pitch before applauding and celebrating in front of the visiting Clarets fans, in a clip that has been seen over 1 million times already on social media.
The Tunisian engine room operator angered most of Elland Road earlier on in the match when gesticulating towards Ethan Ampadu when the Wales international was injured on the floor after a 50/50 challenge, and he took his opportunity after being brought off by Parker to give it back to the United fans that were giving him pelters.
Mejbri further shared his delight with the Burnley faithful after the game on social media, posting on Instagram: "Always good to play those type of games, even better when you bring the 3pts at home 😉💜"
His post attracted the attention of many of his current and former team-mates, and Maguire was among those to react, simply posting two clapping emojis - "👏👏" - perhaps due to the nature of the rivalry between Man United and Leeds.
Mejbri's fellow United academy graduate, Kobbie Mainoo, posted the same emoji as Maguire, and the Tunisian international has clearly made a big impression on Clarets defender Maxime Esteve, who wrote: "I love too much".
The midfielder made the move from Old Trafford to Turf Moor in the final week of the window for an initial fee of £5.4 million, that could eventually rise to £9.4 million, while the deal also includes additional sell-on and buy-back clauses, and having started both league games since his arrival, he looks set to be an important player for Burnley this season.
Some were surprised when Burnley opted to pay a significant fee for Mejbri this summer, but he is proving to be a shrewd signing for the Clarets so far.
Mejbri could not have had two tougher games to begin his time at Turf Moor than a Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers and a trip to Leeds, but his committed and all-action performances have already endeared him to supporters.
It was a perfect away performance from Burnley on Saturday, and the fact that Parker's men had just 28.7% possession in the game underlines the battling qualities they showed to come away with all three points.
The Clarets will be hoping to be among the automatic promotion contenders in the Championship this season, and the win at Elland Road is certainly a statement victory for their new-look team.