Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick says he’s excited by what he’s seen from highly-rated Red Devils wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri.
The 18-year-old midfielder has long been regarded as one of the most promising players in United’s youth teams, and Chadwick, who also came up through the club’s academy into their first-team earlier in his career, has singled him out as a player to watch.
In general, Chadwick continues to feel optimistic about how his old club are doing precisely because of the strength of their academy, with Mejbri perhaps looking the next big thing to follow the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Scott McTominay into the senior side.
“That’s what Manchester United is built on from years gone by,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “Even with the huge downwards spiral the club has been on, with where they’ve finished in the league and lack of trophies since Sir Alex retired, the one constant has been those academy players who’ve come through into the first-team.
“I’ve seen quite a lot of him (Mejbri) in the Under-18s and Under-23s. He’s got a huge amount of technical ability, but more than anything he’s a big character, he’s got huge self confidence.
“He even gets involved in a few things he maybe shouldn’t, with some strong tackles and a bit of pushing and shoving and that sort of thing. But he’s a player who plays on the edge, and someone who needs to develop physically to play at Premier League level in my opinion.
“But he’s got the raw potential to be a very special player in years to come. United rate him incredibly highly, he’s got a bit of that X-factor that you look for, someone who might come on and excite the crowd.”
United fans recently got a glimpse of youngsters like Shola Shoretire and Charlie Savage in the Champions League clash with Young Boys, and they’ll be hoping Mejbri can make a first-team appearance in the not-too-distant future as well.