Zinedine Zidane left Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and has not managed another club since then. For the longest time, it was believed that he would be the next France national team manager but Didier Deschamps ended up signing an extension with Les Bleus, closing that door for the foreseeable future.
Now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Zidane. There has been increasing speculation though that he could be eyeing a return to management at the club level.
The likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Marseille have been linked with Zidane. On the other hand, rumours have picked up pace recently about Manchester United holding an interest in appointing the Frenchman to replace Erik ten Hag.
It does not seem that there is much concrete going on about any such move at the moment though. While speaking to CaughtOffside for his latest column in the Daily Briefing, Fabrizio Romano said:
"I’m aware there have been more reports about Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United, with Zinedine Zidane the latest name mentioned as a candidate for that job. I must stress, though, that I’m not aware of contacts between Zidane and Manchester United so far. Nothing is concrete on that, as of now.
“Let’s see what INEOS decide to do in general in the next months after positive initial discussions with Ten Hag, but Zidane is currently not negotiating with United."
Fabrizio Romano drops Real Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane to Man Utd update
Zidane returning to management would be the best thing in football. He is a major name that the game is missing right now and a fantastic manager as well, as he proved over his two spells at Real Madrid.
Zidane has been very specific about what he wants from his next job though. And it is hard to imagine that Manchester United would be at the top of his wishlist.
Do not get us wrong. Manchester United are one of the biggest and most historic clubs on the planet despite their struggles in recent years. Is it the best place for managers though? We have seen top names like Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal struggle in the Old Trafford hot seat, and it seems like only a matter of time before Ten Hag is shown the exit door as well.