Hannibal Mejbri is in the Manchester United squad to face Middlesbrough tomorrow and is set to remain as part of the first-team group for the remainder of the season.
The 19-year-old midfield playmaker is in line to make his second appearance for the club in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Old Trafford, having come off the bench at Wolves on the final day of the last Premier League season.
United have high hopes for a player they spent a fee of up to €10million on when signing him from Monaco in 2019 and he is now set for a permanent promotion to the senior squad.
Hannibal hasn't featured for United's academy sides since November 23, playing in a 2-1 UEFA Youth League win against Villarreal.
Since then he has represented Tunisia in the Arab Cup, reaching the final, and the Africa Cup of Nations, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals last weekend.
With Donny van de Beek having left United on loan in the January transfer window, Ralf Rangnick has confirmed Hannibal will now become a regular fixture in the first-team squad and he will be involved on Friday night against Middlesbrough.
"We have Hannibal included in the squad," United's interim manager told MUTV.
"He will, from now on, regularly train with us and be a regular member of the squad. He will also be part of the squad for tomorrow’s cup game."
Hannibal has been away from Carrington on international duty for most of Rangnick's reign, but the German has seen enough to know United have a talented player on their hands.
"To be honest, I haven’t seen that much of him as he was with the national team. I saw him play in the tournament, not the Africa Cup of Nations but the one before [the Arab Cup]," said Rangnick.
"I saw him play in the final and, from what I’ve seen so far, I think he’s a promising talent. He deserves to be part of the group for the rest of the season and also part of the group for tomorrow’s game.”
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