Rising Iraqi footballer leaves Manchester United

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The young Iraqi football player, Zidane Iqbal, decided to leave Manchester United during the current summer transfer window.

Iqbal has been considered one of the most prominent emerging talents at Manchester United since his first appearance with the first team at the end of 2021.

After many years with Manchester United, the 20-year-old is preparing to take on a new challenge in his career outside Manchester, where he was born to an Iraqi mother and a Pakistani father.

Manchester United agreed to sell the Iraqi midfielder to the Dutch football club FC Utrecht, The Athletic revealed.

The Athletic illustrated that Iqbal will join FC Utrecht for one million euros in a final transfer deal.

Iqbal underwent a medical examination on Monday and is now scheduled to join Utrecht under a four-year contract, The Athletic added.

Iqbal was born on April 27, 2003, and joined Manchester United’s youth team in 2012 at the age of nine, before he was promoted to the under-18 team in 2019.

Iqbal signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in April 2021. He appeared eight months later as a substitute in a Champions League match against BSC Young Boys, making history as the first British player from Asia to play for the ‘Red Devils.’

It was Iqbal’s only match with the Manchester United first team without making an appearance in the Premier League.

Iqbal played 35 matches with the Manchester United under-21 team, 16 matches with the under-18 team, and four matches with the under-19 team.

Internationally, Iqbal played three international matches with the Iraqi national team.