Hannibal Mejbri: Birmingham loan can help Tunisia midfielder improve

Hannibal Mejbri is awaiting his first start for Birmingham City

Hannibal Mejbri's loan spell with Championship side Birmingham City will benefit Tunisia, according to national team coach Jalel Kadri.

The teenage Manchester United midfielder, who already has 18 caps for the Carthage Eagles, is expected to be part of his country's World Cup squad in November.

Playing as many games as possible for John Eustace's side is a wise move, says Kadri, because a lack of playing time at Old Trafford could have hampered his chances of going to Qatar.

"A young player with great potential, he is very lucky," Kadri told BBC Arabic.

"We hoped that he would continue playing at Manchester United for his own benefit and for the benefit of the national team but this is professional football.

"Birmingham is an excellent club with a legacy, and the Championship is distinguished by the physical and technical level. We think that Hannibal made a positive choice in his professional career."

Mejbri made his United debut in the final game of the 2020-21 season at Wolves in May last year, then made two more Premier League appearances last season in the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool and the 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace.

The 19-year-old went on United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, but was left out of their first four league games of the new campaign before opting for a loan path to St Andrew's.

He has made six substitute appearances since joining the Blues - a club where England international Jude Bellingham made his senior debut aged 16 years and 38 days before joining German side Borussia Dortmund in July 2020.

Regular opportunities with the Blues earned him brief outings from the bench for Tunisia in the two friendlies against Comoros and Brazil last month.

And his national team manager believes Mejbri is on the right path.

"What matter is the choices of Hannibal and his club to make him improve," Kadri added.

"His improvement wouldn't be possible if he continues at Manchester Utd as he will not be playing as much as possible to improve, so it was the best choice for him."

Samba lesson for Tunisia

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar scored as Brazil thrashed Tunisia last month, with Dylan Bronn (right) sent off just before half-time

Meanwhile, former Tunisia captain Radhi Jaidi has said the Carthage Eagles will learn from last month's heavy defeat by Brazil.

The North Africans, who will meet France, Australia and Denmark in Qatar, suffered a 5-1 loss against the five-time World Cup winners on 27 September in Paris.

"They were tactically exposed against Brazil. It's a great test for our young players on the field because they definitely benefitted from playing in front of 40-45,000 spectators and against a big team," the 47-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.

"It gives them a good insight about what to expect in Qatar which will be pretty similar or maybe stronger, so that gives them a great idea on how to prepare."

Jaidi represented his country between 1996 and 2009, winning the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil before establishing himself in England by becoming a fans' favourite at Bolton, Birmingham City and Southampton.

Having played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, the former defender knows what his country needs to navigate a tricky group and reach the round of 16.

"Definitely, we need to improve on our attacking and our scoring opportunities," he added.

"We're not going to have a lot of opportunities against these big teams, so half a chance should be in the net if you want to go to the second round.

"Obviously, our aim is to go the second round, so we need to improve on the attacking bit to score goals. And even if we concede one goal, we should score two goals - this is my thought.

"I'm pretty optimistic with this team. But we need to work on our game management, and then definitely take opportunities."