Manchester United: Zinedine Zidane has already opened the door to manager job

Zinedine Zidane has opened the door to a potential move to Manchester United amid reported interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The three-time Champions League-winning manager has been out of work since 2021 after leaving Real Madrid for the second time, the only club he has coached.

Reports this week from France claim Ratcliffe, fresh from being confirmed as United’s new co-owner and in charge of all footballing matters at the English giants, has made Zidane his dream managerial appointment with INEOS ready to “do everything” to make the deal a reality.

Zidane has previously suggested that a move to an English club is a non-starter as he is not fluent in English. He told L’Equipe in 2022, a year after leaving Real Madrid: “If I go 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.”

Fast forward 18 months or so to this week and Zidane, filmed for a recent documentary about the life of Italin football legend Marcello Lippi, has confirmed that he will return to management.

Asked whether he will return to coaching, Zidane replied: “Why not? Anything can happen. But at the moment I’m doing something else.

“I am sure that I will return to the bench, I would like to coach again.”