Image: Zidane Iqbal
Hannibal Mejbri and James Garner have received warnings from Erik ten Hag that if they want to play for his first squad this season, they must show that they are capable of "accepting responsibility."
Mejbri, a 19-year-old international from Tunisia, made his debut for United's first team late in the previous season and received praise from players like Gary Neville and Paul Scholes for his aggressive, albeit unpredictable, performance in a 4-0 loss at Anfield.
While on loan with Nottingham Forest, who were promoted back to the Premier League after a 23-year absence, Garner made an impression.
The graceful midfielder, who has previously been compared to Michael Carrick, has missed United's first three preseason games due to injury but is hoping to play against Aston Villa tomorrow and the regular season.
I haven't seen James Garner because he only joined training this week, Ten Hag stated at the pre-game press conference.
‘I don’t have a full impression of him and I want to see more. I will then answer the question, and make conclusions and decisions.’
On Mejbri, he added: ‘Hannibal, he plays some minutes now and I think he did quite well, in training as well.
‘He makes quite a good impression. I think they do well [youngsters]. I also know the standards in the Premier League are really high and it’s always about are they ready to take the responsibility to play, to contribute.
‘That’s what I have to prove and I will take my decisions. It’s clear some of them have potential.’
Ten Hag's refusal to play Alejandro Garnacho, who was instrumental in United's recent FA Youth Cup victory, has drawn criticism, but the Dutchman argues that his team's preparation for the opening Premier League game against Brighton in a fortnight must come first.
‘We don’t have a lot of time, we have to be ready for August 7,’ he said. ‘The squad here is defined in generations, we have experienced players but also we wanted to give some young talents the chance, while they deserved it, to be here.
‘I cannot give all young players the chances they maybe deserve, because we have to construct a team. I see them daily in training, so I get a really good impression from them. We can develop them by good plans
‘Not all youngsters have gained minutes, I have to set priorities, but in future they will play an important role I think for building Man United.’
Content created and supplied by: ThomasSankaraJnr (via Opera News )
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