Manchester United midfielder, Zidane Iqbal, 20, has made final moves as he departs FC Utrecht for a fee that has not been made public.
The 20-year-old will be joining the Eredivisie club on a contract, meant to last for four years. The contract is, however, subject to international clearance, and will look for regular first-team football at his new club.
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Manchester United is proud of Iqbal’s journey thus far and sees this as an opportunity for the midfielder to grow his career within a new environment and a competitive league.
Everybody would like to wish him the very best of luck for the future.
The Iraq player has already taken to his Twitter handle to post a heartfelt farewell to Manchester United, the club he refers to as “home”.
He had attended the club’s pre-Academy programmes and later progressed through the ranks to make his first senior-team appearance in December 2021, in a Champions League match against Young Boys.
“From The Cliff to Carrington and then to the Theatre Of Dreams (OT), I have so many incredible memories of my 15 years associated with this amazing club,” he posted on his Instagram page of late.
“I have had the opportunity to play with so many team-mates, that I will now always call friends, and worked with coaches who always supported me in so many different ways.
“There are too many people to thank. Kitmen, physios, teachers, chefs, nutritionists, security staff, coaches and everyone else in between, they’ve all played their role in making me the player that I am today.
“They know who they are and know how much they mean to me and my family. We’ll be forever grateful.”
As one of the exceptional players from his age group in the academy, Zidane Iqbal must have been a source of inspiration to many younger members of the United community.
“The Academy is a special place that makes dreams come true for so many,” he continued. “I’ll always be a United fan and I’ll always love this football club.”
Iqbal’s fame amongst football colleagues and teammates was proven by the huge response his post received, with Charlie Savage, sending a particularly soothing personal message of support.
From playing at the cliff at 5 together, to making our debuts in the champions league at 18. It’s been a pleasure sharing our journey together for the last 14 years. It seems as though everything we went through we did so together!
All the best @z10ane go smash it 🫡❤️ pic.twitter.com/nzjVaoFykr— Charlie Savage (@charliesavage84) June 22, 2023
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Iqbal acknowledged that this is the next step for him as he looks to move ahead and make his mark in the Netherlands.
“The time is right to go and take on a new challenge,” he said. “It is one that I cannot wait for and I’ll be applying myself with the same level of desire, determination and dedication that has taken me this far in my career.”
