A young player who left Manchester United during Erik ten Hag’s tenure has been banished from the first-team squad at his new club.
The name Zidane Iqbal may bring back some memories for the most avid United supporters.
The 22-year-old came through the ranks at United and made his Champions League debut for the Red Devils in December 2021, coming on as an 89-minute substitute against Young Boys and, in doing so, made history by becoming the first British-born South Asian as well as the first Iraqi to represent the Red Devils.
He also became the first British South Asian to feature in the Champions League. And despite clearly boasting talent and regularly being named on the bench, the midfielder’s debut was the only time he represented his boyhood club, who he joined as a nine-year-old.
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Speaking to The National, the Iraq international described how he felt Ten Hag never “respected” him enough to play him despite the Manchester-born youngster being named as a substitute 19 times in one season.
“From the outside, it looked amazing to all my friends because I was training and travelling with United’s first team,” he said.
“For me, it was mentally tough because I was just training and not allowed to play with the under-23s. I thought to myself, ‘I’m just like a number’.”
And after failing to break into the team under Ten Hag, Iqbal signed for Eredivisie side Utrecht in the summer of 2023 in search of regular senior football.
In his first season, he made 20 first-team appearances but failed to register a single goal contribution before playing a further 21 times in 2024/25.
But Utrecht boss Ron Jans is seemingly not impressed by the midfielder, with Dutch outlet VI reporting that he has been “reprimanded” and “demoted” to the reserves ahead of the side’s upcoming Europa League match against Real Betis.
Jans was reportedly unhappy with Iqbal’s attitude and dedication ahead of the November international break, during which he represented Iraq.
Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, Jans explained his stance on the matter and claimed Iqbal “had a bad training week”.
"Zidane then had a bad training week,” Jans said.
“He has shown little dedication, also around and after the matches. He was in disappointment all the time. You can have that for a day, sometimes for two days, but not longer. It needs to be reset."
It is unclear when the 22-year-old will return to the first-team squad. Utrecht are fifth in the Eredivisie after 13 games this term.
Topics: Zidane Iqbal, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Eredivisie, Football
Luke Davies