"I'm proud of this boy" - Antonio Valencia heaps praise on Manchester United player after Liverpool loss

Former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia has lauded young midfielder Hannibal Mejbri for his spirited display against Liverpool at Anfield on 19 April.

United were swept aside 4-0 by their arch-rivals. A brace from Mohamed Salah as well as strikes from Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane secured the win for the league leaders.

Jurgen Klopp's side completely dominated the encounter, with many fans and pundits lamenting Manchester United's perceived lack of effort and desire to get back into the game.

One player that did impress, however, was 19-year-old Hannibal, who came on to make his first senior appearance of the season in the 84th minute.

The Tunisian made an immediate impression by putting in some crunching tackles on Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita. His aggression seemed to fire up his teammates for the rest of the game, despite the contest being long over.

Despite giving the ball away for the fourth goal, Hannibal's performance led to immediate calls for him to start in the Red Devils' next game. Valencia tweeted the following in response to his cameo:

"Today I'm proud of this boy."

Since signing from Monaco in 2019, the midfielder has waited patiently for his opportunity in the first team. The Tunisian youngster has clearly impressed the United veteran and will be hoping to get some more game time in the pending matches.

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Gary Neville impressed by Hannibal during Manchester United's dismal Liverpool display

The Anfield clash really demonstrated how far apart the two English footballing giants are right now in terms of quality.

Neville, another former United captain, couldn't hide his disgust at the performance while on commentary for Sky Sports. But he felt a similar level of pride for the teenager.

Following the midfielder's robust foul on Keita, Neville said as per the Manchester Evening News:

"To be fair, at least the kid's showing something. Honestly, it takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint to the ball and put a challenge in. I'm actually proud of him.

"Maybe he doesn't like the idea of Liverpool passing around him, I wish the others were the same," he added.

Following the one-sided contest, Neville clarified his comments, stating:

"He demonstrated something, he showed something. He didn’t like the idea of Liverpool, at Anfield, passing it around him and the idea of Liverpool taking the mick out of him and his team-mates.

"At least he demonstrated something," he went on. "I am not saying it is brilliant because he could have hurt the Liverpool players, but as a Manchester United fan you can respond to that."