Manchester United has agreed a deal to sell young midfielder Zidane Iqbal to FC Utrecht in their first official business of the summer transfer window, claims The Athletic’s David Ornstein. The 20-year-old only made a single appearance for the senior team in his career at Old Trafford.
Manchester United Finalise Zidane Iqbal Sale
How Much Are United Getting From Iqbal’s Departure?
The Iraqi midfielder impressed fans with his performances in the Red Devils’ first pre-season campaign under Erik ten Hag last summer, playing prominently in nearly every single one of their friendly games and looking quite sharp.
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However, he failed to break through to the first team when the regular season started and couldn’t impress the Dutch gaffer. Ornstein adds that the Manchester side are only going to get a transfer fee of around £855,00 for the youngster, but that they have included a significant sell-on clause – meaning they’re in line for a big pay-off if Uretcht sells him for a major fee in the future.
It’s also stated that Iqbal also completed his medical tests with the Eredivisie side on Monday, June 19 and is going to be signing a four-year contract with them. This will also be United’s first official sale of the summer after they recently announced a list of players who will be leaving after their contracts expire at the end of the month.
What Went Wrong for Iqbal at Old Trafford?
For the 20-year-old, things were looking bright back in 2021 when he signed his first professional contract with the Premier League giants and would go on to make his debut for the senior team later that year in a UEFA Champions League match against Young Boys.
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However, he couldn’t really rise through the ranks after Ten Hag took over in 2022. Despite playing heavily in pre-season, the Iraq international seemingly got in trouble with the gaffer in July and a video emerged of the Dutchman screaming at him and calling him ‘f****** Rubbish’ for failing to keep the ball grounded in training. Even though he was named in United’s matchday squad on 17 occasions in the 2022/23 campaign, Iqbal struggled to convince the manager and will now look to continue his footballing journey somewhere else.
