Manchester United academy ace Zidane Iqbal departed Old Trafford in 2023 and has landed himself in trouble with current club FC Utrecht in the Netherlands
Former Manchester United ace Zidane Iqbal has been relegated to the reserves at his current club, Utrecht. The ex-Old Trafford academy ace has been sent to Jong FC Utrecht as punishment.
Iqbal will miss the upcoming Europa League match against Real Betis, with boss Ron Jans unhappy with the player's dedication in training before the international break. The 22-year-old picked up his 22nd cap for Iraq after making two appearances against the United Arab Emirates as his nation progressed in World Cup qualifying.
The midfielder has made five Eredivisie appearances and two outings in the Europa League this season. Iqbal has not convinced Jans of his determination, however, according to reports in the Netherlands.
Iqbal joined Utrecht from Manchester United in the summer of 2023. The Dutch side paid a fee of £1million for his services.
The Utrecht player spent 11 years at United and became the first British South Asian to represent Manchester United. Iqbal was eligible to represent England, Pakistan and Iraq before plumping for the latter.
The Manchester-born star made his first-team debut in December 2021 in the Champions League against Young Boys, under Ralf Rangnick. Iqbal's progress stalled under Erik ten Hag, however.
The prospect was once subject to a foul-mouthed outburst from manager Ten Hag after being singled out during a training session by the Dutchman. The United boss was filmed screaming: "Keep the ball on the floor... Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!"
Iqbal does not believe he was offered a fair chance by Ten Hag. That saw him look for a move away.
Speaking to The National, Iqbal said: “I just wanted 10 minutes off a bench to show myself and it really frustrated me that the gaffer didn’t seem to rate me enough to give me a chance to show if I could sink or swim.
“I spoke to my dad and agent and said: ‘I can’t do this for another year’. From the outside, it looked amazing to all my friends because I was training and travelling with United’s first team.
"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’.”
Iqbal made 18 appearances for Utrecht last term after making 17 Eredivisie outings in his debut season with the club. It appears the international has more work to do to leave his mark on the team.