The changing Man Utd transfer approach that could earn the club millions in years to come

When Manchester United allowed Zidane Iqbal to leave earlier this summer, there was a notable sense of surprise among the club’s followers.

Less than 12 months prior, Iqbal had been involved in six of United’s pre-season friendlies during Erik ten Hag’s first summer in charge, while the Iraq international spent the majority of last season training with the first team and was included in 17 senior matchday squads across 2022/23.

Yet there was a catch - Iqbal didn’t make a single competitive appearance under Ten Hag, who by the end of last season had come to the conclusion it was unlikely the academy product had the skills required to play a significant role in his squad.

In years gone by, United would have held onto a precocious talent on the fringes of the first-team squad, hoping that he could blossom into a star. Yet rarely was this the case, as Tim Fosu-Mensah, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Angel Gomes and James Wilson can testify. The quartet all impressed at underage level and were touted as potential stars of the future, yet they ultimately left United for less than a combined £2m.

The reality for even the most talented underage talents is that few will progress to the senior team, and an even smaller number will go on to play a crucial role. In Ten Hag’s current squad, Dean Henderson, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford are the only significant members who have come through the youth ranks, and two of those could still leave this transfer window.

It’s that unavoidable truth which has influenced the club’s policy on underage talents this summer, with high-ranking club officials acknowledging that in the past United have retained the services of youth players for too long. There’s now a sense that few at youth level are deemed as unsellable, and if an interested club are willing to offer favourable terms for a player seen as unlikely to make it at first-team level, United will allow him to leave.

It’s a policy that has come to fruition this summer, although there were signs of it last year when James Garner was sold to Everton and Tahith Chong moved to Birmingham City. In both instances, United inserted buy-back clauses and a sell-on percent for future transfers, ensuring there was a reasonable chance of profiting on the departures in the years to come. Iqbal’s move to Utrecht was conducted in a similar fashion this window, as were the sales of Matej Kovar, Charlie Savage and Anthony Elanga.

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This approach, implemented by John Murtough and supported by Ten Hag and Nick Cox (United’s head of academy), should help the club increase their revenue from transfers, which simultaneously provides greater funds for incoming deals and helps with Financial Fair Play. It’s a similar strategy that has been deployed by a number of the Premier League’s elite sides in recent years, such as Chelsea and Manchester City, with the latter expected to imminently earn around £12m from the transfer of Romeo Lavia, in addition to the £10.5m received last summer when he joined Southampton.

That £23m fee for an untested academy player could have funded the majority of Mateo Kovacic's arrival this window, and it’s the sort of holistic outlook that has seen City surpass their Premier League rivals in so many areas. United will hope their shifting attitude helps close that gap, and to one day surpass their rivals, even if it may take a few years to reap the rewards of this new-fangled strategy. 

Earning a significant fee for Iqbal in the years to come, would be a start.