“I’m tired of sitting on a bench”: Utd star reveals frustration in frank interview

In an open interview, Hannibal shares his opinions on his failed loan spells and gives a hint about his future.

When Brexit was set to happen, Manchester United brought in a horde of highly-rated youth players as part of a focused recruitment push.

In around five years, the drive will be seen as an absolute triumph, with Alejandro Garnacho emerging as the star of the show.

Though not at United, Alvaro Fernandez and Willy Kambwala have earned a reputation for themselves and are now safe in their top-tier professional careers.

Though Hannibal was the player with the highest rating at the time, Marc Jurado finds himself back in Spain with Espanyol.

From Monaco for a sum that might reach about £10 million, it was a significant indication of faith in the 16-year-old’s abilities.

He finds himself at a crossroads at Old Trafford following many loan stints.

Hannibal regarding his prospects
The Tunisian international’s preseason was a complete bust, culminating in his lacklustre performance against Liverpool in the last preseason game.

Erik ten Hag delivered a powerful message about Hannibal’s position in the team hierarchy, and the player experienced a dramatic fall from grace.

Hannibal has finally disclosed his future ambitions in an interview with The National, following a horrendous loan stint at Sevilla from January to the end of the previous campaign.

After scoring against Brighton the previous season, he claimed he anticipated to play more, but when that didn’t happen, he looked for a loan move and eventually found one at Sevilla.

“As a football player, all I want to do is play and prove myself,” he stated. It’s what every player will say. I’m sick of watching other people play while I sit on a bench.

“My season at United was alright last year, but when I scored in the match against Brighton, I thought I could have played a little bit more. You always want more as a player, so I made the decision to sign a loan with Sevilla. There, I had a lot of experiences.

“Though things didn’t go as planned, I think I’ve grown as a person and learnt a lot.” Now when the United players are around, I can sense that.

Although many believed that his excellent loan term at Birmingham was when he was ready for a breakthrough, it never materialised.

“I felt like I was making progress at Birmingham,” he stated. As soon as you have game time, you advance. Playing every week makes it difficult to return to the sidelines.

Hannibal’s crop of players is almost entirely either established at United or has moved on to other teams in search of more first-team opportunity. Some players, like Teden Mengi and Anthony Elanga, have discovered their greatest selves after placing bets on increased first-team opportunity.

“I was close with Anthony Elanga and Teden Mengi,” Hannibal remarked. I’m proud of them since I’ve watched them leave the team and become successful Premier League players. Like me, they had to play every week, but at United, it’s more difficult.

Analysing Hannibal’s remarks
The player has expressed frustration with the present state of affairs at the club, which is understandable given the circumstances, but he has also acknowledged the reality of the situation.

The midfield is currently crowded, particularly considering the player’s playing style, which resembles Hannibal’s quite a bit. The Tunisian international fits United’s preferred profile—an all-action midfielder who is more of a box-to-box player than a total destroyer.

Kobbie Mainoo’s arrival satisfied the requirement for a ball-playing midfielder, which has diminished the likelihood of players like Maxi Oyedele breaking out.

As the No. 10, he cannot start over Bruno Fernandes, and Mason Mount is a better fit for the all-action role.

As a result, Hannibal finds himself in a difficult situation in his career where he must decide whether to follow Mengi and Elanga’s lead.

His early-career potential, which had United spend a lot of money on him, doesn’t go away quickly.

Maybe a shift in environment can help it unlock once more. The best-case scenario would be that for the athlete and the team.