“it is my dream but…” – Watch Zinedine Zidane makes final decision on Manchester United manager job as he drops big hint to fans

“it is my dream but…” – Watch Zinedine Zidane makes final decision on Manchester United manager job as he drops big hint to fans

Real Madrid legend insisted “never say never” when asked last year about possibility

Potential Manchester United new manager candidate Zinedine Zidane has previously left the door open to taking up the hotseat at Old Trafford.

The French coach, 51, is reportedly among the options being considered by United to take over from Erik ten Hag if they decide to sack the former Ajax boss after a poor start to the season.

There is little doubting Zidane’s record in the game, where he has excelled as both a manager and a player.

At Real Madrid, he coached them to a pair of LaLiga titles and three Champions League trophies across two spells while he also lifted Europe’s greatest club honour as a player at the Bernabeu.

Speculation has regularly risen around the former attacking midfielder’s eventual return to the dugout and United’s name is never far from those rumours.

Last year, shortly after Ten Hag’s appointment, Zidane had been linked with a move to the Red Devils and spoke openly about his willingness to consider such an opportunity.

However, there was one explicit demand he outlined for any future employer that the Glazers may struggle to contend with in United’s current state.

“Never say never,” he told L’Equipe in June 2022.

“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 [just] anywhere.

“For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. 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.”