Former Real Madrid Boss Tells Friends He Wanted To Become Man Utd Manager

Spread the love

Read Time:2 Minute, 13 Second

LONDON: Zidane was linked with a move to United as a player but the lure of Spanish football took him to Los Blancos.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under increased scrutiny at Old Trafford as various managerial candidates are being linked with his job, including ex-Real Madrid boss Zidane.

With pressure mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, speculation has already begun shortlisting potential candidates to replace him at Old Trafford.

Defeat to Leicester on Saturday has left the United boss facing a critical week in charge as Atalanta and rivals Liverpool come to town.

It is thought that United chiefs have no intentions of wielding the axe on their manager just yet, but if form continues to dip, they may begin to think otherwise.

And it will doubtless not be overlooked by the club’s hierarchy that former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is still currently out of work.

The Frenchman led Madrid to three Champions League triumphs in his two spells in charge of the club but is still enjoying a break from the game after leaving his post at the end of last season.

Zidane has not made any murmurings as to whether he is keen to get back into the dugout anytime soon, but a call from United would certainly appeal given his stance on the role previously.

The 49-year-old was interested in taking charge at Old Trafford back in 2018 when Jose Mourinho’s position looked precarious.

He reportedly told friends at the time that he wanted to become United’s next boss if Mourinho was sacked.

That eventuality did come to pass in December of that year, though United chiefs instead opted to bring in Solskjaer as interim boss before appointing him permanently the following March, by which time Zidane had completed his return to the Bernabeu.

Few could argue with United’s decision to stick with Solskjaer after his impressive start, though things haven’t quite panned out as they might have hoped since.

Solskjaer’s failure to win a trophy as yet still sticks out like a sore thumb, while Zidane’s glittering CV is as good as proof of his capabilities for the role you could wish for.

Zidane was linked with a move to United as a player but the lure of Spanish football took him to Los Blancos, despite him conceding the Red Devils were among Europe’s elite clubs.

Now two decades on, he would almost certainly be one of the names in the frame if Solskjaer were to be given the boot.

Gary Neville has been one of the staunchest supporters of his former teammate and doubts Zidane would be one of the candidates to replace him.