Zidan Iqbal, player of the Iraqi national team and Dutch club Utrecht, resorted to discipline and hard work as a primary option to face the recent crisis with his team, following coach Ron Jans's decision to exclude him from the first team squad.

The Dutch coach had explained that Iqbal's exclusion came as a result of losing focus during the last three matches, which prompted the technical staff to take a temporary decision to keep him out of the first team starting lineup.

In statements after the reserve team’s match against Dordrecht in the Dutch reserve league, Iqbal said: "I respect coach Ron Jans's decision, but sometimes we have to agree to disagree, and this is what is happening with me in the team and I have to get used to it."

He added: "Utrecht club pays my salary, so I will participate in any team that wants me to play for them. If they want me to play with the juniors or youth team, I will play and give my all and everything they ask of me."

He continued: "The goal of every player is definitely to play with the first team, and I will not speak about leaving. I respect my contract with the team and respect the fans and the coach, and I hope to be able to give my all to achieve the goals set by the technical staff and management."

It is worth mentioning that the player suffered an injury last April, and soon after lost his place in the starting lineup, which affected the coach’s confidence in him. However, today he relies on patience and continuous work to regain that confidence and achieve his ambition of playing regularly with the first team.