Man Utd boss Solskjaer hints at next debut after Greenwood, Williams and Shoretire success

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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted Hannibal Mejbri could be the club’s next debutant from the academy. The Red Devils manager hasn’t been afraid to give youth a chance throughout his Old Trafford reign, with the likes of Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Shola Shoretire all tipped for very bright futures. And the Norwegian has admitted he’s open to unleashing Hannibal before the end of the season.

United have long boasted one of the best academies in world football.

And Solskjaer has regularly tapped into it throughout his time as manager, just like old mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.

Greenwood and Williams have been the big success stories so far, while hopes are high Shoretire, James Garner and Teden Mengi will also excel in the future.

And now, speaking ahead of United’s Premier League showdown with Brighton on Sunday night, Solskjaer has hinted Hannibal could be about to follow suit.

“Yes, definitely,” he said when asked if the teenager could be involved in a match squad before the end of the campaign.

“He was unlucky getting injured, six weeks ago, when he was supposed to come up [to train] with us.

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“Now he’s got over the injury and joined in, and he’s done well, the boy.

“Of course, you drip-feed them in and you don’t expect them to set the world alight, but you want to see them in this environment and he’s looked comfortable and confident.

“Hopefully, we can give him that extra motivation and inspiration to show even more of his talent and why not?”

One player who came through the United academy during Ferguson’s time in charge was Danny Welbeck.

The England international burst onto the scene with an outstanding goal against Stoke and, at one point, was seen as the long-term replacement for Robin van Persie in the No 9 role.

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Ferguson’s exit changed things, however.

David Moyes played Welbeck frequently but Louis van Gaal, after taking over from the Scot, allowed him to join Arsenal in the summer transfer window of 2014.

Welbeck has bounced back from some injury issues to sparkle for Brighton this season – and Solskjaer has sent the Seagulls star a message ahead of tonight’s match.

“Definitely,” he said when asked if he had good memories of mentoring the forward.

“I had him in the Reserves when I was coaching them and what a fantastic representative of Man United he is.

“He’s typical of a young kid that comes through the Academy, you can see the values and his attitude and his behaviour – fantastic.

“And to see him back fit now is great for us because that big smile of his is great to see.

“We wish him all the best because he’s had some bad, bad injuries. He’s fought his way back and you see his talent.”

Solskjaer also feels his United players have benefitted from the international break.

“Yeah. Of course it’s always about crossing your fingers when they go away for the international break,” he said.

“You never know if they play another three games over a short space of time and you just wait for them to come back and see if they’re fit or not fit.

“It’s been positive in the sense that they’ve seen their friends and national team-mates, and I think they’ve looked bright.

“The weather helps as well. The ones who have been here had a few days off so they’re more rested and fresh than the others and the ones who played a lot of international football will probably need another day to hold their hand up and say I’m ready for Sunday.”

On Brighton themselves, he added: “They’re a hard team to play against and prepare against.

“Even though we’ve had good results against them we’ve had to work really hard and dig really deep in all of the games to get the results we’ve managed to get, and we know it’ll be the same again.

“Our players really respect Brighton and we always get 100 per cent focus and attention in all the prep we do and, when the game kicks off, they’ll all be ready.”

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