While it may have only been a pre-season friendly, there’s little doubt that Manchester United fans would have enjoyed thrashing rivals Liverpool 4-0 on Tuesday afternoon.
New boss Erik ten Hag said he was "satisfied" after the friendly victory, but acknowledged it was important not to get too carried away, especially given that Jurgen Klopp used more than 30 players across the 90 minute fixture.
United also opted to make wholesale changes for the second half, with only David De Gea staying on before being forced to withdraw just after the hour mark. There was a maiden appearance for new signing Tyrell Malacia, while returning loanees Donny van de Beek, Amad and Facundo Pellistri also featured.
Youngsters Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal also took to the field at the break, with the latter in particular putting in a hugely impressive display.
Iqbal was born in Manchester and joined United's academy aged just nine years old — the earliest legally permitted — and has climbed through the ranks ever since. He signed his first professional contract at United in April 2021 and was promoted to Neil Wood's United U23 squad last season, becoming a key player and gaining valuable experience for the side in the EFL Trophy.
Big things are expected of the youngster, and his second-half display against Liverpool on Tuesday provided an insight as to why. The 19-year-old took up a position in the heart of Ten Hag’s midfield, one of a double pivot alongside academy teammate Savage.
Although the teenager still lacks the physical traits boasted by many others on the pitch, his technical proficiency meant he was able to cause plenty of issues for his experienced Liverpool counterparts, these being stars such as Fabinho and Thiago.
On the ball, he was both composed but also purposeful, often avoiding short safe passes and instead looking to play more penetrative forward balls to attacking teammates ahead. His touches were always progressive, helping him evade pressure or presenting himself with the platform to drive the team up the pitch.
His intelligence was clear too. Though the midfield is often the most congested area on the pitch, his deft movements saw him constantly able to find pockets of space in which to show and receive passes from teammates.
We saw all of his best work in one swift moment in the 65th minute when Iqbal received the ball facing his own goal and under immense pressure from Fabinho. The teenager looked void of options beyond a long pass back to his keeper.
Amazingly though, he bravely dummied to his left before superbly turning to his right and away from his own goal.
From there, he then drove through the pressure applied on him by Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah before attempting to fire a through ball for Anthony Elanga to latch onto. Although the pass was intercepted, it was an impressive passage of play to go with a standout performance from Iqbal.
United will take on Melbourne Victory next, which should in theory be an easier task than taking on Liverpool.
After that, there are further friendlies against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before their opening Premier League fixture of the season against Brighton. This means Iqbal should be presented with plenty more opportunities to impress Ten Hag between now and the start of the Premier League season.
If he can produce more performances like the one on Tuesday, then there’s every chance he could forge himself a role within the United first-team squad for the season ahead.
