Pakistani & Iraqi origin Zidane Iqbal signs professional contract with Man Utd

[TSA321]

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made developing young players a priority at Manchester United and yet another has signed a first professional contract.

Zidane Iqbal has put pen to paper on his maiden United deal today.

Iqbal sent a message out expressing his delight at signing pro terms.

Iqbal’s deal comes on the back of Teden Mengi, Hannibal Mejbri, Anthony Elanga, and Shola Shoretire signing long-term deals in 2021.

The Manchester Evening News report that United are planning to promote Iqbal from the Under-18 squad to the Under-23s before the end of the season.

He has actually been injured since December but that hasn’t dampened United’s desire to tie him down.

There is no indication of how long Iqbal’s first pro deal will run for.

But it will allow United to oversee the next stage of the midfielder’s development.

Solskjaer has shown there’s a pathway from the academy to the first team with his development of Mason Greenwood and more recently when handing Shoretire his debut.

Iqbal will hope that he can make the jump up in the future, but the next step will be shining in Under-23s football.

https://www.unitedinfocus.com/news/z...-pro-contract/

[IAJ]

Nice, congrats!

[SpiritOf1903]

Legend

[PakLFC]

Hope he's better then Hamza Chaudhry!

[James]

Man Utd’s Zidane Iqbal set for Iraq debut in Iran

Zidane Iqbal to be called up for away trip to Iran after SSN revealed Iraqi chiefs were keen to cap Man Utd player; Iqbal eligible to play for England, Iraq & Pakistan.

Manchester United teenager Zidane Iqbal will be called up by Iraq and is set to be handed a testing international debut away at Iran next week, Sky Sports News understands.

Sky Sports News last year revealed England face the prospect of missing out on Iqbal with Iraqi football chiefs keen to secure the 18-year-old's services at senior international level. Iqbal has previously captained and scored for Iraq's U23s.

The Manchester-born midfielder is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan at international but has never been called up to an England age-group squad. He will now join the Iraq squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Lebanon.

Both matches are away, and Iqbal faces the most exacting of international debuts against Iraq's long-term rivals Iran at Tehran's formidable Azadi Stadium next Thursday, where he could line up against former Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Newcastle-linked striker Sardar Azmoun.

Iraq travel to Beirut to play Lebanon five days later.

Iqbal is expected to link up with the Iraq squad for the World Cup qualifying double-header after the national team's home friendly with Uganda on Friday.

Iraq and Iran have a complicated history with a football rivalry dating back 60 years when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Tehran in 1962. The two sides have met on 30 previous occasions, with Iran winning 17 and Iraq winning six, with seven draws.

Iran won the reverse fixture between the two sides 3-0 last September in a match that was played on neutral ground in Qatar at Doha's Khalifa International Stadium, which will host matches at the World Cup later this year.

Iqbal made history last month when he appeared in the Champions League game against Young Boys to become the first British South Asian to play for Manchester United. Iqbal came on in the closing stages of the Group F encounter, replacing England international Jesse Lingard as a late substitute.

Speaking to MUTV after the game, Iqbal said: "It feels amazing, I've been working my whole life for this opportunity, it's a dream come true, it's just the start and hopefully I can keep pushing on.

The teenager scored for the club's youngsters against Sunderland in the EFL Trophy in November, and followed that up by netting United's opener in their 4-2 UEFA Youth League win against Italian side Atalanta.