Manchester United are still deciding whether to keep Zidane Iqbal or send him on loan ahead of the January transfer window.
Iqbal is currently facing a dilemma.
Despite the fact that he trained with the first team, he has not yet appeared this season. Eric Ten Hag hasn’t given the academy graduate a chance yet.
Due to the fact that he mainly trained with senior players, Iqbal could not play for the under-21 team more often.
An example of his predicament was that his participation in the youth team game against Fleetwood Town was postponed.
The 19-year-old played in EFL Trophy games against League Two sides Carlisle and Barrow, but was not available against Fleetwood as Ten Hug needed him as cover for Christian Eriksen, who was ill against Tottenham.
Eriksen recovered, which made Iqbal an unused commodity as he did not make the bench.
United’s reluctance to give Iqbal on loan is due to the fact that the club believes that the midfield lacks youth.
The Manchester Evening News reports: “There are some concerns that Iqbal has only played in five of the 16 U21 games and he may not feature in the EFL Trophy 1/8 final match against Bolton Wanderers later this month due to commitments to the main team.”.
“The United staff believes that it is beneficial for Iqbal to train with the main team until the end of the season, and then, possibly, go on a seasonal loan in the summer.”
It would be difficult to object to United’s assessment that a loan move would work in Iqbal’s interests.
Despite the fact that he has become the star of pre-season training, his opportunities seem extremely limited, since Ten Hag uses the strongest teams even in cup competitions and the Europa League.
