Zidane Iqbal, 17, agreed to his first professional deal with Manchester United just over a month ago. The club was keen to have him on board and continue to monitor his progress.
Iqbal was born in Manchester to an Iraqi mother and a Pakistani father.
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In a recent interview with Givemesport.com, the midfielder was asked who his favorite player was, and he replied, "Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona," and the parallels are striking.
When watching Iqbal, the first thing you remember is how he glides around the pitch with the ball. He also has a mature knowledge of his surroundings and, like De Jong, understands just which way to switch and pass with the ball to avoid pressing and tackles.
This, along with his good throwing range and finishing abilities, allows him a near-complete midfielder. There are also parallels with the German Toni Kroos. Undoubtedly, he has a lot of effort ahead of him if he is to make it to United's first squad, but the talent is there.
ManUtd.com features a screenshot of recent outstanding success against Wolverhampton Wanderers. For his second score, he used hip-swivels when dribbling to put the defenders off balance.
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Iqbal has just recently recovered from a three-month injury absence against Wolves, which the player and coaching team would keep in mind and hope would not reoccur.
The youngster's preferred position is defensive midfield, where he can use his dribbling abilities and a decent shot to generate hazard.
However, a small lack of speed and good passing technique could suggest that he ends up performing better in a deeper playmaking role, similar to De Jong. He often played as the number six in the Wolves game described above. Iqbal, on the other hand, will refer to his five goals in 14 games this season.
United also has many talented midfielders on loan at Nottingham Forest, including James Garner, Hannibal Mejbri, Isak Hansen-Aaron, Charlie Savage, and Iqbal, all of whom have the ability to break into the first team.
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