Zidane Iqbal's sudden exit from Manchester United may have come as an initial surprise but it soon began to make sense.
While a promising local youngster's departure is always tinged with sadness, the brutal reality is that at present Iqbal was highly unlikely to break into the United starting XI on a regular basis. He was named in a match-day squad 17 times last season but never managed to make an appearance for Erik ten Hag.
It's not that the manager is afraid of giving youth a chance. Alejandro Garnacho became an integral member of the squad and Kobbie Mainoo made three appearances.
