Zinedine Zidane could become the next Manchester United manager only if the club matches his three demands.
Zinedine Zidane has been linked with Manchester United job for quite a while now. The former Real Madrid boss decided to walk away from Santiago Bernabeu following their third consecutive Champions League triumph in May. There were plenty of offers at disposal during the summer, but the Frenchman decided not to take up any position anywhere.
The Portuguese Jose Mourinho was shown the door by the Red Devils following their 3-1 loss to their Northwest arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Besides, relationship with some players has retrograded over the last few months which has forced the board to relieve him from the duties.
Upon the sacking of Jose Mourinho, vice-chairman Ed Woodward has opted for the Reds Devils legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take care of the club until the end of the season. A permanent manager is expected to be named from the next season. Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, Leonardo Jardim and Laurent Blanc are some of the candidates to take over the hot seat at Old Trafford.
According to Football Fancast sources, Manchester United have been in talks with Zinedine Zidane over the last few months and could land him in the summer only if they match three criteria. It comes as no surprise as the French International has a proven track record with three Champions League and a La Liga in the last three years with the Los Blancos, taking over Rafa Benitez who was sacked after a short stint.
First criteria for the former Real Madrid manager is to offload Paul Pogba. Even though both of them hail from the same nation, Zidane sees Pogba as a troublemaker in the squad. Recently, the Manchester United was spotted mocking at Carrington Complex aftermath the sack of Jose Mourinho. His lack of consistency with the Red Devils could also be another reason to ship him off somewhere else.
Additionally, Zidane has said that he would like to be reunited with Raphael Varane at Manchester United. The French defender was targetted by the Old Trafford board only to get to know that the reigning Champions League winner is not available for sale despite dodging a bid of 100 million Euros. The Real Madrid player is considered as one of the best defenders at the moment having already won the Champions League four time and the World Cup once at the age of 24.
Another demand which the 46-year-old made is to make another signing, although the name is unknown. Given Manchester United problems, it must be the creative part of the game. The Red Devils do not have a proper right winger or an attacking midfielder who could tick the boxes easily. Besides, they require proper fullbacks who are astute defensively and possess a great threat in attacking part of the game.
Manchester United will be eager to secure a permanent manager as soon as possible. Zinedine Zidane could prove to be a short-term manager, although they require someone long-term to restructure the club totally.
