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Sevilla FC has made the decision to exclude Hannibal Mejbri, the 21-year-old midfielder on loan from Manchester United, from their team selection for an undetermined period. This move comes after concerns were raised about his initial performances with the club.
Having turned down an opportunity to join Everton, Mejbri started his stint with Sevilla earlier this month. His debut was marked by a challenging match where Sevilla suffered a 5-1 loss to Girona. Subsequently, Mejbri was not included in the team for Sevilla’s recent Copa del Rey match against Atletico Madrid.
The club also confirmed that Mejbri will be absent from the upcoming league game against Osasuna, scheduled for Saturday. He will remain out of action until the issues are addressed and resolved.
Sevilla’s manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, provided insights into this decision. “After being with him, talking to him and having seen his first minutes in Girona, we are going to give him the necessary space to understand where he is, that he is at Sevilla and what it means,” he said.
Sánchez Flores emphasised the importance of Mejbri recognizing the stature and expectations of Sevilla. “He has to know where he is and we want to see him. We have spoken with him and we believe that he has to have some time to learn, we wanted to give him space, time for him to see things from the outside and then he will return to the squad.”
The manager also acknowledged the challenges young players face when joining a big club under high-pressure conditions. “In the end they are kids who have come and suddenly land in a huge club like Sevilla in circumstances of maximum demand. And they need a bit of location. And that location may be seen better from the outside than from the inside. You should take a step to understand what we want.”
Sánchez Flores concluded with a hopeful note regarding Mejbri’s future with the team. “Let’s see if the boy applies himself and I think that in the end he will understand perfectly what we want.”
