LONDON, United Kingdom, Oct 19 – Zinedine Zidane would reportedly be interested in coaching Manchester United if under-fire coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were to leave the club.
United fell to a woeful loss at the King Power Stadium in a game they ‘deserved to lose’, according to Paul Pogba. The Red Devils have now won just two of their last seven games to bundle the pressure on Solskjaer.
And with Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City to come in their next three Premier League outings, the heat may be about to further rise on the under-fire United boss.
That has all led to claims that United are considering a change at the top. And on the back of that speculation, Antonio Conte has been suggested as the leading candidate. Indeed, the Italian’s comments only appeared to add fuel to that fire.
However, reports in Spain now claim Zidane has thrown his hat into the ring. The former Real Madrid boss remains out of work having left the Bernabeu over the summer.
He steered Los Blancos to three successive Champions League triumphs, but left over the summer after a difficult campaign.
Now, as per Spanish TV show El Chiringuito, Zidane has made it perfectly clear he would be willing to take the reins at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman remains a huge name in world football and, as per the report, they claim Cristiano Ronaldo is also fully behind any potential appointment.
However, despite the growing claims that a move could soon be made, United’s owners, the Glazers, still remain staunchly in Solskjaer’s corner.
There also remains a belief that Solskjaer can end the club’s five-year trophy wait during the 2021/22 campaign.
They believe he needs time to integrate their three major summer signings and that, in time, results will improve. In addition, both The Athletic and trusted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano both state that remains the case in the wake of Saturday’s 4-2 loss at the King Power.
Despite that, Zidane’s interest in the job will only further increase the pressure on Solskjaer’s shoulders.
Discussing Zidane as a possible option for United, Gary Neville has explained why the Frenchman would be a good choice.
“I thought that last season there was something building. If you asked him (Solskjaer) privately ‘would you like last season’s squad back?’ I think he probably would go back,” Neville said.
“They have got six grenades where the pins have been pulled out in the dressing room.
“It can work, I’ve seen [Vicente] Del Bosque manage a Real Madrid team to the Champions League.
“Zidane has done it with great players. I think PSG are like that at the moment. You see Pochettino there and you think it’s not really a Pochettino team.
“Ole’s got a bit of that now. He has Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire.”
United’s star-studded squad appears to have piled more pressure yet on Solskjaer and Neville reckons that may have caused dressing room friction.
He added: “Massive characters in the dressing room. Maguire will look at [Raphael] Varane in the dressing room and think am I the top dog anymore?
“You have the dynamic of Cavani sat on the bench who was begged to stay but now has Ronaldo, [Marcus] Rashford and [Mason] Greenwood in front of him.
“[Jadon] Sancho has come in for £75m and now he is looking like he is in and out. All these issues are developing, Solskjaer has to somehow bring that group together.
“He’s got to find a basic defensive shape that the players buy into. That will allow the others to go win the games for him. It’s the only way for him to get the season back on track.”