Manchester United’s ex-wonderkid addresses Old Trafford return amid Ruben Amorim problems

Former Manchester United starlet Zidane Iqbal has been asked about a potential return to Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim.

Manchester United sold talented midfielder Zidane Iqbal to Dutch side FC Utrecht in the summer of 2023 for a fee lower than £1 million.

It was a move that split opinion at the time as Iqbal was one of the more talented prospects to emerge into the first-team picture at United.

Ralf Rangnick gave the midfielder his debut for the club in the Champions League against Young Boys in December 2021. He did not make another appearance for the first-team.

Iqbal has since been developing in the Eredivisie and the 21-year-old has made 33 appearances for the Dutch club.

This season, he has played 14 games, including 13 starts. He scored his first professional goal against Almere City in December.

Iqbal addresses United return

Iqbal has recently been asked about the possibility of a return to Old Trafford.

It was reported when he left the club in 2023 that United had a buyback clause inserted into the deal although that was denied by those close to the player.

United were said to be monitoring Iqbal’s progress and career closely as they considered the Eredivisie as an ideal league for the player’s long-term development.

When asked about the prospect of a move back to Manchester, Iqbal explained that he is not looking that far ahead right now.

“To be honest: I don’t look that far,” he replied when speaking to Algemeen Dagblad.

“I’m not concerned with the future; I leave that to God. I live in the now, take each day as it comes and enjoy, especially after that difficult first year, the fact that I can play football for FC Utrecht. Hopefully we will qualify for European football this season.”

Iqbal return unlikely with existing talent

United currently have several problems to address in the transfer window. They have signed a wingback in Patrick Dorgu and centre-back in Ayden Heaven.

However, Ruben Amorim’s squad still needs improvements, including in central midfielder although any return for Iqbal seems extremely unlikely.

United have talented midfielders in their Academy currently, such as Jack Fletcher and Sekou Kone. If they were to buy a player in the engine room, it would need to be a top quality option.

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The Reds do reportedly have a sell-on clause inserted into Iqbal’s deal, so will be hoping he succeeds and gets a move in the coming transfer windows, but it is unlikely to be a return to United.

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