Erik ten Hag blocks Manchester United midfielder from leaving Old Trafford: Reports

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly blocked the exit of Hannibal Mejbri on loan until the injured pair of Casemiro and Mason Mount become available.

Mejbri, 20, has pulled out of Tunisia's AFCON squad as he seeks to resolve his future. The midfielder has scored once in nine games across competitions, scoring once. The lone goal came in the Premier League, where United are seventh after 20 games, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool (45).

Meanwhile, the duo of Casemiro and Mount are out injured. Sofyan Amrabat hasn't played in two games, while Christian Eriksen has only returned from a long injury layoff.

Considering the dearth of options in the United midfield, Ten Hag doesn't want Mejbri to leave just yet, but he wants the midfielder to eventually gain more game time. The Tunisian could have that once Casemiro and Mount return from injury.

Having spent the last season with Birmingham City on loan, Mejbri could be off for another loan stint. As per Metro, he could return to St. Andrews, and there's also interest from a few unnamed Championship sides.

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"We went for the win, but, on the counter attack, we got hammered" - Manchester United boss on Nottingham defeat

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged that his side were second-best in their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest in their last game of 2023.

Forest scored either side of a Marcus Rashford strike to register their first league win over the Red Devils in 29 years. Bemoaning the performance of his side at both ends, Ten Hag reflected (as per the club's website):

"The first-half performance was not okay, but the second half was better. In bad moments, we conceded the goals. In that moment, the game was ours, and we went for 2-1, only to concede on the counter.

"We had our moments, but it wasn't good enough to win it. We fought back and went for the win but, on the counter attack, we got hammered. That's the explanation of this defeat."

The loss was United's ninth in the league this season and 14 across competitions, with four of them coming in the UEFA Champions League, where they finished a disappointing fourth.

The Red Devils return to action at Wigan Athletic on January 8 in their FA Cup opener.