Manchester United fans were left impressed by young midfielder Zidane Iqbal after he caught the eye after coming on against Melbourne Victory on Friday.
I made a comment on the podcast this week about Iqbal being United’s best midfielder against Liverpool, in the previous pre-season friendly which we won 4-0.
Ten Hag made 10 changes at the break, to give as many minutes as possible to every member of his new squad, and Iqbal was one to benefit from that.
Ethan Laird and Charlie Savage were among the players to get minutes under their belt.
But it was Iqbal who really impressed when he slotted into midfield beside Savage. In turn, this allowed Donny van de Beek to play at the tip of a diamond.
Iqbal wants the ball at his feet all day long – but he is also very quick to move the ball on with simple and precise passing. You can tell he is confident and composed in possession and it was great to see him enjoy the experience on the pitch. His individual brilliance earned a lot of praise on social media this afternoon, as seen below:
Zidane Iqbal is playing like Zinedine Zidane 🥲🥲🥲
— oluwatobi. (@JakeIntrovert) July 15, 2022
Zidane Iqbal sending everyone to the shop… 😊
— Adam McKola (@AdamMcKola) July 15, 2022
Zidane Iqbal is a baller
— ͏͏ 𝐤〽️ (@K_MZL1) July 15, 2022
Charlie Savage x Zidane Iqbal were both very impressive again. I'm sure Erik ten Hag will be paying close attention to their developments. #mufc pic.twitter.com/e2jhwMKhhs
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) July 15, 2022
Zidane Iqbal.
Remember the name ⭐️💫— Scorpy (@Scorpyyy_) July 15, 2022
zizou iqbal for deep lying playmaker. majestic
— dembouz (@Chahilumousa) July 15, 2022
Iqbal also earned praise from several journalists for his performance in Melbourne.
Zidane Iqbal has heaps of technical quality, skill and intelligence – importantly with the personality to match it. He demands the ball, moves, scans, never hides and is not scared of making a mistake in trying to execute what he feels is the right decision.
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) July 15, 2022
Zidane Iqbal looks very sharp for Manchester United, strong in possession and driving with the ball with so much confidence. Lovely sense of close control and he’s holding off the challenges with relative ease. Certainly making a positive impression on the new coaching staff.
— Josh Bunting (@Buntingfootball) July 15, 2022
Savage and Iqbal again done well in midfield. First couple of games a missed opportunity for James Garner, but Iqbal, in particular, catching the eye #mufc
— Tyrone Marshall (@TyMarshall_MEN) July 15, 2022
I don’t think this will be the last time we’ll see Iqbal playing under Ten Hag.
