Ex-Man Utd star in furious training row banished to reserves | Football | Sport
Former Manchester United starlet Zidane Iqbal has been demoted to the reserves at his current club, Utrecht. The ex-Old Trafford prodigy has been dispatched to Jong FC Utrecht as a disciplinary measure. Iqbal will be absent from the forthcoming Europa League clash against Real Betis, with manager Ron Jans expressing dissatisfaction with the player’s commitment in training prior to the international break.
The 22-year-old earned his 22nd cap for Iraq after featuring twice against the United Arab Emirates, aiding his country’s advancement in World Cup qualifying. The midfielder has clocked up five Eredivisie appearances and two in the Europa League this season. However, reports from the Netherlands suggest that Iqbal has failed to convince Jans of his dedication.
Iqbal made the move to Utrecht from Manchester United in the summer of 2023, with the Dutch side shelling out a fee of £1million for his services.
The Utrecht footballer spent 11 years at United and holds the honour of being the first British South Asian to represent Manchester United. Iqbal had the option to play for England, Pakistan and Iraq before ultimately choosing the latter.
The Manchester-born talent made his first-team debut in December 2021 in the Champions League against Young Boys, under the stewardship of Ralf Rangnick. However, Iqbal’s progress hit a roadblock under Erik ten Hag.
The young prospect was once on the receiving end of a heated tirade from manager Ten Hag, who was caught on camera during a training session shouting: “Keep the ball on the floor… Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!”
Iqbal felt he wasn’t given a fair shot by Ten Hag, which led him to seek a move elsewhere.
In an interview with The National, Iqbal expressed his frustration, saying: “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.
“But 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’.”
Last season, Iqbal made 18 appearances for Utrecht following 17 Eredivisie matches in his debut season with the club.
