Positive signs from our new-look midfield

It’s 18 months since Hannibal made his first-team debut and United fans have waited expectantly to see him in a red shirt again, following his encouraging loan spell at Birmingham City last season.

After gaining that valuable experience in the Championship, the Tunisia international has forced himself into Erik ten Hag’s side this term, grasping his chance to impress with his energy and enthusiasm.

The 20-year-old scored a cracker on his first appearance of the campaign last month, albeit his first senior goal proved only to be a consolation against Brighton & Hove Albion, and he’s since started three further games for the Reds.

"Energy" is a consistent word used by Ten Hag when describing what Hannibal brings to the midfield; the youngster set a United season-high by running 12.9km in September’s win at Burnley. But the manager is conscious of not overusing the midfielder.

"When you are playing against possession teams, he is a really good fit and can give a contribution to a good performance and to a result,” Ten Hag said before the visit of Crystal Palace last weekend.

"But three games in a row, when you don’t play so often, is not easy, especially when one of your skillset is energy – that’s what he’s brought, offensively and defensively. I’m really happy with his performances and his contribution to the team."

Another new face in midfield this season is Mason Mount, who is starting to demonstrate his undoubted ability after a disrupted start to his United career.

The 24-year-old summer signing picked up an injury at Tottenham Hotspur in August that ruled him out for a month, just as he was integrating into his new team. 

But he returned in the Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace and has looked sharper with each outing since, beginning to show the kind of form he regularly displayed for Chelsea. 

Mount’s performance in midfield against Galatasaray was one of the positives to take in defeat and his constant ability to win and receive the ball earned him plenty of praise from fans on social media.

The England international had four shots on goal against the Turkish champions and completed 86 per cent of his passes, more than any other player on either side to play 45 minutes or more.

Speaking last week, Mount said: "It was a tough start with the injury and a frustrating one but I used that time to look at areas where I could improve and, coming back in the team, it’s felt good."

COLLECT UNITED: BRENTFORD

Hannibal features in our latest digital collectible ahead of the visit of Brentford, alongside Christian Eriksen, who is in line to face his former club once more.

You can collect the unique design until full-time on Saturday (around 17:00 BST). Just click the image below or head straight to collectibles.manutd.com and follow these steps:

1. SIGN IN TO THE COLLECTIBLES WEBSITE
Let's start with a visit to collectibles.manutd.com, where you click Sign In, Use Social and finally your choice of Google, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) account.

2. CREATE YOUR FREE DIGITAL WALLET
Signing in with your chosen social account will create an online wallet where you can store all the matchday tokens you claim throughout 2023/24. How many will you have by the end of the season? Why not challenge your friends and see who can build the biggest collection.

3. COLLECT NOW
Click this button on the collectibles.manutd.com homepage to find the latest token, and again on the next page to unlock and add it to your digital wallet. Then you're done!

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Manchester United’s officially licensed Digital Collectibles, powered by Tezos and brought to you by Tezos ecosystem companies, are a form of cryptoasset. Manchester United Digital Collectibles have been issued as a collectible item and not an investment. However, it is important that you keep in mind that:

1. Manchester United Digital Collectibles are not currently regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and are not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; 

2. the value of Manchester United Digital Collectibles is variable and can go down as well as up;

3. tax may be payable on any profits made on the sale of Manchester United Digital Collectibles; and

4. for those Digital Collectibles which require purchase, the decision to purchase Manchester United Digital Collectibles requires careful thought and consideration. You should seek independent financial advice if you are in doubt. You should not purchase any cryptoassets if you do not fully understand the nature of your purchase and the risks involved.