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Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has broken his silence on the prospect of him becoming Manchester United manager at a point in the future.
As one of the biggest names in football, and a successful manager with 3 Champions League triumphs from his time in charge at Real Madrid, it’s inevitable that Zidane will get linked with the United job – just like he was after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal, as per The Times.
The France legend has been linked with the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) job this summer (via ESPN) but has now admitted that his lack of English could be an obstacle to him taking the job in the future.
Zidane said he isn’t ruling it out.
“Never say never,” Zidane told L’Equipe, addressing links to United for the first time. “Especially when you’re a coach nowadays. When I was a player, I could choose almost every club. As a coach, there aren’t 50 clubs I can go to. There are two or three possibilities. If I go back to a club, it’s to win. I say this in all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere.
“For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult. When people say to me: ‘Do you want to go to Manchester?’ I understand English but I don’t fully master it.
“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It’s a global context. Me, I know what I need to win.”
The 50-year-old is currently enjoying life away from management, though he could soon return, with Mauricio Pochettino no longer at the helm in Paris.
We must stress that we won’t be entertaining any managerial links – not when Erik ten Hag has just been appointed manager. That would be disrespectful to our new manager, who we hope brings success back to Old Trafford.
As for coaches who take jobs despite not being fluent in the language, former United defender Gary Neville is an example of that. Nicky Butt, who came through the academy with Neville, is understood to be getting Spanish lessons.