Manchester United have agreed to sell academy graduate Zidane Iqbal to Dutch side Utrecht in a transfer deal which could see the Red Devils bank €1million (£855k).
The highly-rated midfielder, 20, made his first-team debut under interim manager Ralf Rangnick in the 2021-22 season, leading him to be tipped for a breakthrough campaign under current boss Erik ten Hag. Iqbal was even selected to go on United's pre-season tour of Asia last summer and he subsequently featured in five friendly matches.
Fans were impressed by the Manchester-born Iraq international but eyebrows were raised for the wrong reasons when Ten Hag singled him out during a training session. The Dutchman was filmed yelling: "Keep the ball on the floor... Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!"
Iqbal wasn't given a single minute of senior competitive football last season, despite the Red Devils going deep into in four competitions and Ten Hag seeing his selection choices diminished by injuries. During the January transfer window, the 20-year-old made it clear to United chiefs that he wanted to go out on loan but he's had to wait until the summer for a move.
According to The Athletic, Iqbal completed a medical with Utrecht on Monday and has agreed to sign a four-year contract. United have negotiated a significant sell-on clause, although there's no buyback option on their academy product who's been at the club since the age of nine.
Iqbal only signed a new long-term deal with the Red Devils in June 2022, a decision which signified how high hopes were for him at Old Trafford. It came six months after making his debut for United in a Champions League group stage clash with Young Boys.
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But throughout the course of the 2022-23 season, Iqbal fell behind fellow academy prospect Kobbie Mainoo in the pecking order, as the teenager made three competitive appearances, including one start against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. Iqbal's last chance to impress Ten Hag came during a mid-season friendly against Spanish side Cadiz, during which he shone.
Ex-Red Devils defender Wes Brown told MUTV of the playmaker's encouraging performance: "You have got to be a special player to break through in that position. He's had a few chances and he's shown glimpses what he's capable of.
"He's very young, the manager does like him, with experience you hopes he will be even better. He understands the game, makes things happen, got the penalty, he sees things on the pitch. He’s definitely one we will see a lot more of in the future."
Iqbal's immediate future will be elsewhere, though, and it's worth noting that Ten Hag managed Utrecht between 2015 and 2017 while earning his stripes. Last term, the Dutch outfit finished 7th in the Eredivisie, with up-and-coming Danish coach Michael Silberbauer now in charge.
