Iqbal, 19 years old, played all 90 minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 loss against Russia at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.
It was only the teen’s third appearance for his country, but he exhibited maturity beyond his years with an outstanding, all-out effort.
He has only made one senior appearance for United, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute of a Champions League match against Young Boys in December 2021.
Fans swiftly went to social media after Iqbal’s midfield masterpiece against Russia to ask Red Devils manager Ten Hag to give Iqbal more playing time.
The video depicts him recovering the ball with a hard challenge in the center of the field, then using creative footwork to defeat three opponents and sending a nicely weighted through ball to a teammate.
One individual stated, “We are wasting his gift.”
A second individual commented, “I do not understand why Ten Hag does not include him in the squad.” For me, he is superior to the 17-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
Someone else remarked, “Ten Hag is oblivious to his talent.”
One continued, “Still can’t fathom why ETH hasn’t given this young man an opportunity, what a talent!”
Referring to the month of Ramadan, a fifth tweet read, “And he is doing this while fasting.”
And the United fan account that tweeted the video stated, with an ice-cold emoji, “Zidane Iqbal playing with the other team.”
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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford returns to training
Marcus Rashford withdrew from the England team for their games against Italy and Ukrаine, but Manchester United are optimistic he will be available for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle.
Marcus Rashford rejoined Manchester United training on Monday after wιthdrawing from England’s squad for their upcoming games against Italy and Ukrаine.
United’s top scorer picked up an ιnjury in the 83rd minute of their 3-1 FA Cup victory over Fulham in their penultimate encounter before the international break. Due to his ιnjury, Rashford was forced to wιthdraw from the England squad for the first round of Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Rashford returned to Carrington on Monday after a vacation to continue his rehabilitation as players returned this week from their international duties.
Also, Christian Eriksen provides an update on his ιnjury recuperation.
Rashford engaged in a light, solo workout separate from the main group. His workout consisted solely of fitness and did not entail any ball work.
United are already without Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Donny van de Beek, while Marcel Sabitzer and Raphael Varane are questionable and Anthony Martial’s return date is uncertain.
Rashford was criticized by some for traveling to New York last week while he was not part of the England group, but Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate stated that it was not a problem. “After Marcus is ruled out of the team, he will have complete control over how he spends his time,” he stated. “The players don’t get many breaks, and I’m confident that some of them will leave immediately after tomorrow’s game if they receive 48 hours off.
“We continually collaborate with clubs on scans and assessments. There are also the emotions of each player, therefore a great deal is involved. Constantly, I collaborate with the gamers to determine the optimal answer for them. Obviously, we always want the players, and we strive to collaborate with them as frequently as possible.
“With every squad we have, we consistently lose a few members. Afterwards, I must concentrate on the current group and how we can win the games.”
