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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Liam Wood

Manchester United starlet Zidane Iqbal to make senior international debut for Iraq

Manchester United prospect Zidane Iqbal is ready to make his senior debut for Iraq after a final decision was made on his international future.

The 18-year-old was born in Manchester but qualifies for Iraq through his citizenship and has already played for the U23s; captaining and scoring for that age-group team.

Iqbal remains eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan, but his international has now been mapped out.

Having made his United debut in the Champions League this season - summoned from the bench for a late cameo against Young Boys - the Academy starlet is set to be included in the Iraq squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Iran and Lebanon.

Those games will represent a challenging introduction for Iqbal as Iraq aim to qualify for Qatar 2022.

As things stand, the country's only appearance at the finals came in 1986.

Iraq and Iran have an intense footballing rivalry and they are set to do battle at the Azadi Stadium, in Tehran, next Thursday. Iqbal will join up with the squad after their friendly match vs Uganda on Friday.

Also included in Iraq's group on the road to Qatar are South Korea, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

Which academy starlet will break through next? Have your say in the comments section below.

Either side of his first-team introduction under Ralf Rangnick - who also handed bows to Tom Heaton and Charlie Savage that night against Swiss opponents Young Boys - playmaker Iqbal has played 11 games in Premier League 2 this season.

A further three outings have come in the UEFA Youth League and the playmaker also featured in the EFL Trophy; scoring three goals in 17 appearances for the Academy all-told in 2021/2022.

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