Zidane Iqbal has left Manchester United for Utrecht (Netherlands). The transfer fee was only €1 million. Opinions were divided.

안전놀이터 The Manchester Evening News, a British newspaper, wrote on April 4, “There are reasons to justify United’s decision to sell Iqbal. United fans had question marks about Iqbal, who impressed during the off-season last summer. However, he was not in United manager Eric ten Hagg’s plans. United sold Iqbal. It was a sensible move, he was no longer progressing to the point where he had a future with Van Gaal,” the report said.

Iqbal was born in 2003 to an Iraqi mother and a Pakistani father. He joined the United youth team at the age of nine and progressed through the ranks, making his first-team debut in the 2021-2022 European Champions League (UCL) against Young Boys. He became the first British-born South Asian player to play for Manchester United. In June 2022, he signed a new three-year contract with United. Iqbal was also watched by Van Gaal. He even sent him on an off-season Asian tour in 2022-2023. However, Iqbal never really got a chance during the season.

Another British newspaper, the Mirror, said: “Fans were impressed with Iqbal. But he was frowned upon for all the wrong reasons when he was picked by van Gaal. Ten Haag was seen shouting at him. According to the outlet, Ten Hagg was seen shouting, “Put the ball on the ground and…. Zidane, you’ve got the ball”.

The Manchester Evening News said: “It was the transfer fee that disappointed United fans. Iqbal was a promising youngster with potential. He still is. But more importantly, the insertion of a 40% sell-on clause. The Dutch league has often provided an ideal environment for young players to develop, and United need to think about their current financial situation.