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When Liverpool signed a player, there were a few things loyal Reds came to cherish and refer to: leaning and the players meeting the good doctor Zaf Iqbal. The pictures of these two rites of passage meant that a player had genuinely arrived at Anfield, and Iqbal became a symbol of good times ahead with some hilarious images that were indeed memorable.
When the club doctor left Liverpool in January, it struck many as unexpected and uncanny. There weren't any details on the departure apart from "family personal reasons" on the official site as Iqbal's privacy was rightly respected by the club. Fans can finally discover the reasons why Iqbal left the club from the man himself.
Unfortunately my son has been unwell, and so as a result of that my wife and kids were based in London. That meant that although I had my dream job working at Liverpool, I was commuting back and forth, which was fine for the first couple of years. In 2012 I became head of the department, and with that came added responsibilities, so I had less time to actually get back to London. As a result of that it really came to a head this year, being in the Champions League and not having a single day off in December, it meant I wasn't able to get back down to London. Something had to give, I had a great time up in Liverpool, but as anyone will tell you family wins every time, and I had to get back to London.
There you have it. Zaf Iqbal recently became Crystal Palace's first ever club doctor and confirmed that he was "really looking forward" to his post in London. It is hoped that his son's health has improved along with success in the future at his new club.
