Zidane Iqbal caused much hope among Manchester United fans during the club’s pre-season tour, impressing against the likes of Liverpool when he showed Erik ten Hag that he could become an ideal alternative to FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils spent the entirety of their summer transfer window chasing the Dutch playmaker, but were turned down by the player, who has since settled with Xavier Hernandez.
It’s pretty obvious what drew Ten Hag to De Jong. A metronomic passer with fantastic agility and balance, capable of playing mid-turn against the most aggressive pressures, the former Ajax midfielder could have brought composure and class to the United team.
But there’s no reason to think Iqbal couldn’t bring those same qualities to Old Trafford, given the chance.
The Iraqi oozed class on tour, having the nerve of Cruyff: converting Liverpool’s first-choice midfielders and dribbling in midfield numerous times during Ten Hag’s first game in charge. He continued to impress in subsequent wins over Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, but naturally saw his chances to impress dwindle as the tour progressed, with Ten Hag concentrating on bringing his first-team regulars up to speed ahead of the season.
Since then, the 19-year-old has yet to feature in the senior team, but has continued to demonstrate his skill at the Under 21s, drawing praise from manager Travis Binnion in the team’s recent 4-0 defeat to Bolton’s first team. Wanderers. in particular for his role in defensive midfield.
“He played there last week with the first team, and I think his first-team involvement has mainly been in that deeper role,” Binnion told the Manchester Evening News. “He excels on the ball, and he has a very good understanding of the game.
“Obviously he still has work to do, but you can see the benefits and progress in his game by being around the first team on a regular basis, so yeah, I think he did a lot of good things.” [against Bolton]. He is not afraid, so he will take the ball anywhere.
“He has very good technique and awareness. I also think he held the ball well tonight under pressure. It’s all very well taking it, but you have to make sure there’s a result and he’s getting better at it.
“I thought out of possession, it was difficult for the whole team, and he dealt with that and did a lot of good things. He’s progressing very well, and I think he’s had a fantastic week in terms of knowing where he’s at in the three games he’s played in quick succession.”
That sort of regular action, with the games coming in fast and dense, will certainly be good preparation for the teenager as he prepares for the inevitable first-team call-up.
Physicality can often prove to be the biggest barrier for young players approaching seniors and that goes double for those thrown into the cauldron that is a Premier League midfield battle. And while Iqbal is relatively tall, stamina and strength are important factors to consider, even for a player blessed with his grace level.
It’s perhaps what keeps him out of first-team reckoning at this stage, particularly with the Ten Hag revolution still in its infancy and every game still played on a razor’s edge.
But the qualities of a playmaker are undeniable and the tactical understanding he has shown in moving from the number ten position to a deeper role has certainly caught the eye of his coaches.
His performances against Cadiz and Real Betis during Man United’s not-so-hot-weather training camp also ensured that Ten Hag will keep Iqbal in his thoughts ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Burnley next Wednesday.
Several veteran players are likely to need to be match fit in that match, such as non-World Cup-seeking Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay, while Fred featured only sporadically before Croatia sent Brazil home early . But there’s a strong case to be made that, under Ten Hag, Iqbal has impressed more than any of those players and could be in line for minutes against Vincent Kompany’s side.
Even if he doesn’t get them against Burnley, he’ll certainly find his breakthrough sooner rather than later, given his particular abilities. None of the aforementioned trios offer much in terms of ball progression, something Ten Hag clearly demands of his deeper midfielders.
Even world-class midfielder Casemiro is hardly known for moving the ball between the lines, and asking Bruno Fernandes to do so would immediately lessen United’s threat in the final third, where the Portugal star is most effective. Only Christian Eriksen is capable of reliably moving the ball forward from deeper areas of the pitch and, as seen in the run-up to the World Cup, asking him to do it two to three times a week is a recipe for a buildup. unavoidable fatigue.
It is striking that on the few occasions when Eriksen was unavailable, or when he was retired, the entire Man United structure became plodding, their attack toothless. This was never more apparent than the monotonous 0-0 draw with Newcastle United, a match in which United managed just two shots on target and were forced to make a series of hopeful efforts from long range and aimless crosses.
That ability to move the ball forward with purpose is a hallmark of Zidane Iqbal’s game, only he does it in a completely different way than Eriksen. The Dane uses his passing range to destabilize defences, while the Iraqi adopts the Frenkie de Jong approach: he dribbles to disrupt the opposing structure.
It takes a bravery on the ball that Iqbal brought into his game at a young age due to his love of futsal, something he believes has helped him develop his game.
“The ball is smaller and doesn’t bounce as much,” he told the club’s official website. “The nets are smaller but it is very technical, even the goalkeeper can go out and do a 5v4 when you have possession. There is nowhere to hide in futsal because the field is very small. If you hide, you’ll be one less man, if you don’t want the ball. You have to be brave, face your man and that has helped me a lot.
That attitude is evident in his style of play and is something United’s midfield is often lacking. McTominay has often been accused, often quite fairly, of hiding when his team is in possession, while Fred can sometimes make the ball look like a hot potato. The less said about the version of Van de Beek that Manchester United have seen about it, the better.
Not even Eriksen, the ball’s main promoter, will be making many runs up the middle any time soon, as it’s simply not his game. What Iqbal can offer Ten Hag is what he wanted from De Jong: a runaway train that causes the opposition to panic and a chance for his teammates.
It seems only a matter of time before Iqbal gets the chance to bring his unique skill set to a packed Old Trafford and his outlook is likely to speed him up.
“No one’s career is going to be the same as anyone else’s. Everyone has their ups and downs, this is how you bounce back and retaliate from all the downs. When you’re up, you know you’re going to come down eventually, so you just have to enjoy the moments. When I look back on what I’ve done so far, I remember the days when it was hard and now I look back with a smile.”
Zidane Iqbal will surely soon give fans plenty of reasons to smile.
