Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, hailed the energy and contribution of Hannibal Mejbri in their hard-fought 1-0 triumph against Burnley. Mejbri, making only his second start for United and the first since May 2022, took on the No.10 role at Turf Moor while Bruno Fernandes shifted to the right-hand side.
The inclusion of the 20-year-olds, Mejbri and Rasmus Hojlund, provided United with an eager pair of pressers, countering Burnley’s ball-playing center-backs. Mejbri impressively completed the full match.
Tunisia international Mejbri had previously scored his first goal for United as a substitute against Brighton just a week earlier, and Ten Hag didn’t hesitate to promote him to the starting lineup for this crucial encounter with Burnley.
Ten Hag explained, “We injected some much-needed energy into the team. The pressing from Rasmus Hojlund and Hannibal, their togetherness, the way they initiated the pressing movements—everything was timed perfectly. Their synergy with Bruno and Rashy was excellent.”
He continued, “We controlled the game during that period because their pressing was initiated so effectively, and once they were bypassed, they swiftly recovered, with Hannibal excelling in that regard.”
“This is just one victory, but what we witnessed was not only unity and togetherness but also a genuinely positive spirit in the dressing room. When all eleven players defend as one, recognize the right moments to do so, and execute recovery triggers effectively, it becomes extremely challenging to play against Manchester United—especially this version of Manchester United.”
Ten Hag also lauded Sergio Reguilon’s dedication to play despite being unwell, citing it as an example of the team’s spirit. Reguilon was eventually substituted in the 79th minute.