Erik ten Hag sacks the Man Utd prodigy for good after X-rated training ground clash
Manchester United’s academy graduate Zidane Iqbal was in preparation for the end of a roster under manager Erik ten Hag and is now set to leave Old Trafford for a transfer outing
Manchester United have agreed to sell academy graduate Zidane Iqbal to Dutch side Utrecht in a transfer deal that could net the Red Devils €1m (£855,000).
The highly regarded midfielder, 20, made his first-team debut under interim manager Ralf Rangnick in the 2021/22 season, setting him up for a breakthrough season under current boss Erik ten Hag. Indeed, Iqbal was selected to join United’s pre-season tour of Asia last summer and has played in five friendlies.
Fans were impressed with the Manchester-born Iraq international but eyebrows were raised for all the wrong reasons when Ten Hag spotted him during a training session. The Dutchman was filmed shouting: “Keep the ball on the ground … Zidano! HI! Hold the ball! Fucking nonsense!”
Iqbal didn’t get a single minute of top-flight football last season, despite the fact that the Red Devils were deep in four leagues and Ten Hag saw his selection picks dwindle due to injuries. During the January transfer window, the 20-year-old United bosses made it clear he wanted to be loaned out, but he would have to wait until the summer for a transfer.
According to The Athletic, Iqbal underwent a medical on Monday in Utrecht and has agreed to sign a four-year contract. United have negotiated a significant sale clause, although there is no buy-back option on their academy product which he has been with the club since the age of nine.
Iqbal did not sign a new long-term contract with the Red Devils until June 2022, a decision which indicated high expectations for him at Old Trafford. It came six months after he made his debut for United in the Champions League group stage tie against Young Boys.
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But in the 2022-23 season, Iqbal fell behind compatriot Kobbie Mainoo in the pecking order as the teenager made three competitive appearances, including a start against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. Iqbal’s last chance to impress Ten Hag came in a mid-season friendly against Spanish club Cadiz, in which he excelled. it rots in his bedroom
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Former Red Devils defenseman Wes Brown told MUTV of the playmaker’s encouraging performance: “You have to be a special player to get into that position. He’s had some chances and he’s shown a taste of what he can do in state.
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“He’s very young, the coach loves him, with experience I hope he gets even better. He understands the game, he makes things happen, he took the penalty, he sees things on the pitch. He’s definitely someone we’ll see a lot more .” of the future”.
However, Iqbal’s near future will lie elsewhere, and it is worth noting that Ten Hag controlled Utrecht between 2015 and 2017 as he worked his way up the ranks. Last season, the Dutch side finished seventh in the Eredivisie, with up-and-coming Danish manager Michael Silberbauer now at the helm.