Neville admits he’s "proud" of Hannibal after Man Utd star sent Keita flying

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Gary Neville admitted he was proud of Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri after a crunching tackle on Naby Keita.

It came at the death of another embarrassing result for the Red Devils, who were destroyed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night. All three forwards got on the scoresheet as Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane ripped the visitors to shreds.

Ralf Rangnick went with a back-three with Phil Jones making his second start of the season but that plan was abandoned at half-time after it failed miserably. But the change in formation did little to turn the tide with a small bit of gusto from Jadon Sancho the only difference.

Perhaps with one eye on the future and the game all but over, the German coach threw Hannibal on after impressing with the academy side. The Tunisia international is renowned for his flair but also his petulance and it did not take him long to get into the nitty gritty.

Just minutes into his first appearance at Anfield, the 19-year-old made several fouls – including one that sent Keita absolutely flying. It sparked a furious reaction from the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner.

But in the commentary gantry, Neville managed a small smile on a devastating day for the Mancunian and he admitted he absolutely loved Hannibal's impact. He said on comms: "It takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint for the ball and put a challenge in.

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"I'm actually proud of him! Maybe he doesn't like the idea of Liverpool players passing it round him. I wish the rest of them were the same."

Liverpool finished the match top of the Premier League after beating United 4-0 though Manchester City have a game in hand and can return to the summit when they face Brighton at the Etihad tomorrow night.

Meanwhile for United, it was another miserable evening for Ralf Rangnick's team. Erik ten Hag is expected to be named as their new manager for next season, but the Dutchman certainly has a lot of work to do.

• Gary Neville
• Manchester United FC

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