the UEFA Champions League against the Russian club Rostov scored his first goal with the team and after that missing a significant opportunity by not fit, delivers an assist to Tielemans which doubles the score in the first Continental participation in its history. However, in the second leg on 3 August 2016, the club lost 2–0, therefore being eliminated in the UEFA Champions League. Hanni made his Anderlecht debut in the opening game of the season against Royal Excel Mouscron, where he started the whole game and set up a goal for Idrissa Sylla, who scored a winning goal, in a 2–1 win. In a follow up match against K.V. Kortrijk, Hanni scored his first league goal for the club, as well as, setting up the club's second goal of the game, in a 5–1 win. Five days later on 12 August 2016, he captained the side for the first time in the absence of Steven Defour, where he started the match before being substituted in the 81st minute, in a 0–0 draw against Sint-Truidense. Hanni played and captained in both legs of the UEFA Europa League Qualifying against Slavia Prague, scoring in the first leg, as Anderlecht won 6–0 on aggregate. He scored again on 11 September 2016, in a 3–2 win against Charleroi, and scored two weeks later on 25 September 2016, in a 2–1 loss against Westerlo. Having quickly become a first team regular since joining Anderlecht, Hanni spent the next four months as the club's captain, helping the side reach the top of the table. He spoke about his development as the club's captain in Defour's absent. During a 1–1 draw against Saint-Étienne on 29 September, he suffered a pain in the adductor muscles in the last fifteen minutes and had to be substituted. But he recovered quickly and started in a match against rivals, Standard Liège, on 2 October 2016 before being substituted in the 75th minute, as Anderlecht won 1–0, earning their first win against their rival since 2012. Following a 3–2 loss against Zulte Waregem on 27 November 2016, Hanni made a comment about Manager René Weiler, leading to the Belgium media claims that the pair had fallen out and igniting transfer report claims. But Hanni responded that denied claims from the Belgian media that the pair fell out. He then played an important role as captain when he provided three assists in