Manchester United’s takeover is now done and dusted, with new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who bought 25% of the club, being in attendance for yesterday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. The general feeling is that things are going to change as United look to improve their on-field performance under the new ownership.
As part of the club’s rebranding, Manchester United have begun chopping and trimming the team by sending out a few players on loan, including Jadon Sancho and Hannibal Mejbri, although there are conflicting reports on the finer details of the latter’s loan deal to Sevilla, with David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano posting different information.
Conflicting reports surface regarding Manchester United midfielder’s loan move
Hannibal Mejbri’s hopes of establishing himself as a proper first-team player at Manchester United look to have been dashed as the club sanctioned a loan move to Sevilla for the young Tunis.
The 20-year-old has been in and out of the first team for a few seasons now but has played more regular minutes under Erik Ten Hag than any other manager in recent memory. He has featured in several high-profile games for the club, with appearances against Chelsea, Liverpool, and even Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season.
However, his failure to nail down a spot, unlike teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo, has left the club with no choice but to sanction a loan move to Sevilla with an option to buy.
Now, while the loan move is almost confirmed, there is a lot of confusion over United’s insertion of a buy-back clause in the deal. Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reported yesterday that the deal included an option to buy, which Sevilla could exercise at the end of the season, but nothing like a buy-back clause.
However, another transfer journalist, David Ornstein, reported that the deal included a buy-back clause, which United could activate anytime in the future.
Manchester United also offloading Alvaro Fernandez to Benfica
The clearouts have begun at Old Trafford. Manchester United are sanctioning loan deals for several unwanted players, including Jadon Sancho, who has been out of the squad for over four months.
The Englishman completed his move to Borussia Dortmund last week and even got an assist on his first appearance in a few months as Dortmund secured a 3-0 win last weekend.
Benfica have now reportedly secured the signing of Alvaro Fernandez on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the deal permanent. The versatile defender joined United from Real Madrid in 2020 on a four-year deal but never made a first-team appearance, although he trained with the first team on a few occasions.
Which United player will leave permanently this January transfer window?
