Zidane Iqbal has admitted Manchester United’s 4-2 friendly defeat to Cadiz was ‘sloppy’ despite his impressive first-half performance.
Iqbal was handed a start by United boss Erik ten Hag and the 19-year-old Iraq international midfielder was arguably United’s best player on the pitch before he was brought off at half time along with nine other team-mates.
He won the penalty which saw United register their first goal of the night with an excellent run into the Cadiz box and was an attacking threat throughout.
While Iqbal defended his younger team-mates, he admitted that United were otherwise ‘sloppy’ as they conceded four goals to the Spanish side.
‘Yeah, two sloppy goals [first half], first game after a little break, so we’ll look back on it,’ Iqbal told MUTV.
‘A great experience overall in Spain, adapting to the weather and getting fitness up for the first 45 minutes. I think the whole team did well.
‘Maybe the first 10 minutes were a bit sloppy, but I think we grew into the game as a team together.
‘Saturday we’re playing Real Betis, a strong side and high up in La Liga, but it will be a great experience, especially for the lads that came on in the second half.
‘We’re all young, we’re all learning, so it’s been a great experience so far. I thought they [youngsters] did well, they competed.
‘We’re still on our journeys and there’s more to come.’
United face Real Betis on Saturday and return to competitive action after the World Cup in Qatar with a Carabao Cup game against Burnley on December 21.
Their first Premier League match after the World Cup break sees them host Nottingham Forest on December 27.
United are currently fifth in the top-flight as Ten Hag looks to guide them back into the top four.
MORE : ‘We were sleeping!’ – Erik ten Hag fumes after Man Utd lose friendly
MORE : Man Utd defence implodes as Erik ten Hag’s side suffer 4-2 thumping by Spanish side Cadiz
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