Erik ten Hag will have to make a decision in the coming days regarding Zidane Iqbal’s involvement in the Under-20 World Cup.
According to Iraqi Pro Players via Iraq Football Podcast on Twitter, the president of the Iraq FA will hold a meeting this Wednesday, May 2 with the Manchester United hierarchy in a bid to convince Ten Hag to release Iqbal for the tournament.
President of the Iraq FA, Adnan Darjal, will have a meeting this Wednesday with the management of Manchester United and Erik ten Hag to try to convince them of releasing Zidane Iqbal for the FIFA U20 World Cup. 🇮🇶
🗞 @IraqiProPlayers pic.twitter.com/u5nWTYHjKX
— Iraq Football Podcast (@IraqFootballPod) May 1, 2023
The U20 World Cup kicks off on May 20 and will run until June 11. Iqbal now plays a key role in the senior national team but given his age of 20, he is still eligible to join the youth setup and partake in the forthcoming matches.
His game time this season with the Red Devils has been reduced to U21 action, and he has only made the senior matchday squad as an unused substitute, so there’s no reason behind Ten Hag blocking his release.
Ten Hag blocked Garnacho’s involvement
The manager did not allow Alejandro Garnacho to leave on international duty for the same competition, however, the Argentinian has played a pivotal role in the first team this campaign and will continue to when he returns to full fitness.
It makes more sense for Iqbal to go, as it could be beneficial for his development and getting used to competitive football.
