After a lackluster season, Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag may face scrutiny, and the club could consider Zinedine Zidane as a possible replacement.
After another dismal display against their rivals Manchester City, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag might face more scrutiny, and journalist Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT that former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is probably on INEOS’ radar to succeed him.
The Red Devils have had a patchy season so far, crashing out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup, and trailing Aston Villa by 11 points in the battle for a top-four spot in the Premier League. With INEOS buying a 25% share of the club earlier in the season, they could be thinking of a managerial change before the next season.
Zidane is currently unemployed after leaving Real Madrid, and he might be looking for the right chance to resume his coaching career. It is unclear if the Manchester club would appeal to the former French midfielder, but the Red Devils might be interested in luring him to Old Trafford.
Man Utd could target Zinedine Zidane
According to Foot Mercato, Manchester United’s new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a dream of hiring Zidane as the manager of Old Trafford, if the Frenchman shows any interest in the position. The 51-year-old coach has achieved a lot of success in his career, but he has been out of work for almost three years since June.
| Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid managerial record | |
|---|---|
| Stats | Output |
| Matches | 263 |
| Won | 174 |
| Drawn | 53 |
| Lost | 36 |
| Goals for | 605 |
| Goals against | 267 |
| Points | 575 |
| Points per match | 2.19 |
| Correct as of 04/03/2024 | |
As a manager, Zidane has won 11 trophies, including two La Liga titles, two UEFA Super Cups, two Spanish Super Cups, three consecutive Champions League crowns, and two FIFA Club World Cups. He was also twice named the World’s Best Club Coach, proving his excellence in the game as a coach.
Fabrizio Romano, an Italian journalist, recently told GIVEMESPORT that INEOS are likely to give ten Hag more time to establish his style at Old Trafford, but he will have to show progress for the rest of the season. The Dutch coach took his United team to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City at the weekend, but the Red Devils failed to challenge the hosts after Marcus Rashford scored the first goal.
Ben Jacobs – Zidane will be on Man Utd’s shortlist
Jacobs has reported that Man Utd may consider Zidane as a potential successor to ten Hag if INEOS decides to sack him. The journalist also suggests that he does not anticipate ten Hag to depart before the season ends, but they could prepare for the summer. He told GIVEMESPORT…
“INEOS are well aware of Zidane’s capabilities and it’s highly likely if they did get to the point of drawing up a shortlist that Zidane would be one of the names on it. But there isn’t this huge conspiracy against ten Hag to come in and replace him.
There’s simply a desire to fairly assess, and if the assessment is to move on from ten Hag to move quickly. So it is very possible, because I don’t think ten Hag will go before the season ends, but it’s very possible that like with Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, a determination, even if it’s not public, will be made before the season ends.
Because INEOS will either want to tell ten Hag early he’s staying, or tell ten Hag early that he’s going and then be able to go out into the market and start the process of replacing him.”
Thomas Tuchel would ‘relish’ chance to join United
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/03/08/3008504-61725808-2560-1440.jpg "Zinedine Zidane could make Man Utd's shortlist if Ten Hag gets fired 3")
Journalist Jacobs has also revealed to GIVEMESPORT that current Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel would relish the opportunity to manage United. The Bundesliga outfit recently announced that Tuchel would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Christian Falk recently confirmed that Tuchel wants to return to the Premier League for his next job after being sacked by Chelsea last term. The German manager might feel that he has unfinished business in England, and United could be one of the clubs searching for a new manager in the summer.