Man Utd loanee ‘practically ostracised’ after reported ‘bust-up’; transfer now ‘ruled out’ | OneFootball

Hannibal Mejbri's spell at Sevilla has not gone to plan so far.

Sevilla have ‘ruled out’ making a permanent move for Man Utd midfielder Hannibal Mejbri this summer, according to reports.

The Tunisia international left Old Trafford in the January transfer window in an effort to find regular first-team football in La Liga with Sevilla – but the loan spell has already gone badly.

Sevilla have an option to buy the midfielder for £20m plus a further £3m in add-ons as part of the deal but Hannibal is yet to make a start for the Spanish side.

Hannibal withdrew from Tunisia’s Africa Cup of Nations squad in order to concentrate on his club career with national team boss Jalel Kadri saying at the time: “Hannibal told me that he did not feel ready for the Africa Cup of Nations because he is going through an important situation at his club.”

But it has not worked out for Hannibal with the Man Utd loanee making just two substitute appearances for Sevilla since joining and involved in a reported bust-up with new team-mate Mariano.

Sevilla boss Quique Sanchez Flores said in January that he had left Hannibal out of two matchday squads in a row as the youngster needed “to understand that he is at Sevilla and what that means”.

That led to reports in the Spanish media that Hannibal had been dropped due to a bust-up with Mariano in a training session and that the confrontation carried on into the dressing room.

However, Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco dismissed those reports at the time, he said: “I think things have been blown out of proportion a little. We are very excited about Hannibal.

“The sports management chose him, he is one of the signings from the January window that excites us the most and we are convinced that Hannibal is going to make it at Sevilla.

“I feel like everything has its processes. He’s only been here a couple of weeks, it’s a new country, a new culture, a new city, a different way of training, a different coaching style.

“We are super excited about Hannibal and convinced he is going to play a lot and breakthrough here at our club.”

When asked specifically about reports of a bust-up between the Man Utd loanee and Mariano, he added: “Hannibal is a magnificent professional, he trains well, he takes care of himself.

“As the proverb goes, ‘A skinny dog is all fleas’. When the team is not doing well and not winning games, stories are created that are not real – like this one that is not real.

“It is a headline that is the result of the bad situation of the team.

“Hannibal is an excellent professional and everyone is happy with him, including the head coach, and, as I already said, we are convinced he is going to make it with Sevilla.”

But now Estadio Deportivo claims that there are ‘no signs that the situation improves’ for Hannibal with Sanchez Flores ‘not convinced’ by the player’s attitude.

The Man Utd midfielder has now been ‘practically ostracised and has received several public scoldings from the coach’. After playing only 36 minutes so far, Sevilla have already ‘ruled out’ triggered their option to buy the Tunisian in the summer market.