British South Asian midfielder Zidane Iqbal signs long-term deal with Man United

Young British South Asian midfielder Zidane Iqbal has signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United.

The son of a Pakistani father and an Iraqi mother, made his debut for the club in a Champions League match against the Swiss team Young Boys at Old Trafford in December last year.

The new deal will keep Iqbal at the Premier League club until at least June 2025, with an option to extend the contract for another year.

He had previously signed a contract with the club last year following his decade-long association with it since his early years.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has already played senior international football for Iraq, featuring in two World Cup qualifiers, representing the country of his mother’s origin.

He became the first-ever British south Asian to play for Manchester United when he took the field as a substitute for England international Jesse Lingard in the match against Young Boys.

Iqbal’s feat came weeks after Dilan Markandey, another British South Asian footballer, made his debut for Tottenham Hotspurs.

The other British Asian footballers who are on full-time professional contracts with Premier League clubs are Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury, Aston Villa’s Arjan Raikhy and Wolves defender Kam Kandola.

Born in Manchester, Iqbal had played for Iraq’s Under-23 side which reached the West Asian Football Federation Championship semi-finals where it lost to Saudi Arabia. He also played against the United Arab Emirates and scored against Lebanon.