- Youngster held in high regard
- Emeged from famed academy
- Hoping for more competitive minutes
WHAT HAPPENED? The 19-year-old midfielder is another product of the famed academy system at Old Trafford, with a senior debut for the Red Devils taken in during a Champions League clash with Young Boys in December 2021. Iqbal has also become a full international for Iraq, earning two caps for the national team, with the decision to drop him down an age group in United’s youth system paying dividends – a similar approach had been taken with club legend Scholes and England U21 playmaker Gomes in the past.
WHAT THEY SAID: Iqbal has spoken to United’s official website about following in the footsteps of two fellow academy graduates: “The coaches mentioned Angel Gomes to me. Look at him now, playing for Lille in the Champions League. They mentioned Paul Scholes but they’re obviously the players who played down and have gone on to do well. Obviously, other players have played down and their careers have not gone as successfully as they wanted it to. But I knew I could make the situation really good by looking up to players like Scholes and Angel, if they played down. I look at it as a positive, they’re doing it to better you, so that’s what I did and it helped me a lot."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Iqbal is yet to see any competitive game time under Erik ten Hag in 2022-23, but has said of being on the books of a Premier League heavyweight: “Obviously, it’s a dream come true for me. Coming through the academy, to be training with the first team every day. I’m still working hard and still pushing every day, just to better myself and learning from these brilliant players just to reach the potential I think I can reach in my career. Hopefully, I can break through at United; the club I’ve grown up watching and playing for and, you know, it would be a dream come true.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? United have been taking in friendly outings during the World Cup break, allowing senior stars and promising youngsters to stay sharp, but will be back in competitive action on December 21 when playing host to Burnley in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.