Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri could be nation’s wild card at World Cup

There are three head coaches who must be currently smiling over the great form of Hannibal Mejbri in England’s Championship.

First, there is Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman will already be pleased with the progress Manchester United are making in the English Premier League but will know all about how the 19-year-old, loaned out by the club in August, is making a name for himself one tier down at Birmingham City. Blues boss John Eustace is certainly delighted as the teenager continues to shine in the Championship. And then there is Tunisia manager Jalel Kadri, looking on with satisfaction ahead of the World Cup.

Until recently, most English fans knew of the teenage Tunisian due to his six-minute cameo for United against Liverpool in April’s 4-0 loss at Anfield when he was praised by Gary Neville for his aggression after coming off the bench.

“To be fair at least the kid’s showing something,” the former Red Devil said live on television. “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.”

Despite such praise and with a new boss coming in, first-team appearances were always going to be tough to come by this season at Old Trafford. At the end of August, Mejbri completed a season-long loan with Birmingham, who beat off interest from a number of other English clubs. The Blues started slowly with just five points coming from the first seven games but results and performances have improved considerably since, pushing the West Midlands club into mid-table. Given how close the unpredictable league is, a push for the playoffs is not out of the