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Erik ten Hag’s tenure as Manchester United manager is reportedly on shaky ground following a shaky performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry, a Championship team. Despite eventually winning on penalties, United’s squandered 3-0 lead and a near miss due to a VAR decision in extra time have fueled speculation about Ten Hag’s future at the club.
The general sentiment among pundits and former players is leaning towards an exit for Ten Hag at season’s end. With high-profile coaches being considered, Ally McCoist, the ex-Scotland international, and Louis Saha, former United striker, have both voiced their support for Zinedine Zidane taking the helm at Old Trafford.
Speaking on talkSPORT BET, McCoist expressed his views amid potential changes brought by new ownership under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
“I just get the feeling that with the new ownership and Sir Jim Ratcliffe bringing a lot of his own men in, he might want to bring his own manager in as well. It is a project and even if they do replace the manager, I still think they need six or seven new players – you could argue that is more important. Then it comes down to recruitment and who will be tasked with bringing those players in. I’m not so sure that it’ll be Ten Hag,” McCoist stated.
He further elaborated on his preference: “With that in mind, I’d love to see Zinedine Zidane take over at Manchester United. I think that he would be brilliant for the club and if I had to pick one then he would be the one for me.”
While Thomas Tuchel has also been linked to the job, McCoist clearly favors Zidane for the position, adding, “Thomas Tuchel would probably jump at the opportunity to be the next United boss, but Zidane would be my pick.”
Similarly, Saha in an interview with Betfred, said: “For a few years I’ve said that Zidane would be a fantastic appointment for the club. There’s no negatives about it. We all know that his dream job is with the French national team, but we don’t know if he may have to wait a while for that position to become available.
“He can speak a bit of English, so that would be helpful. I don’t see anything that goes against him being Manchester United manager. He would definitely inspire the players to be more confident at the highest level and everybody admires him for what he’s done as a player and as a manager, so that’s certainly an advantage he’s got. It would be a massive achievement for Manchester United to have Zinedine Zidane as their manager.”
Zidane has never managed another club outside of Real Madrid, where he set an incredible record of winning the Champions League in three successive editions. Zidane has previously told L’Equipe, “Would I want to go to Manchester [United]? I understand English, but I’m not completely fluent in it.”
“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way. Many elements come into play in order to win, it is a global context. I know what I need to win.”
If current reports are anything to go by, it does look like Zidane is considering a return to management, after a chance to manage the France national team did not materialise. L’Equipe (via The Sun) reports, Zidane would prefer to take on the manager role at Manchester United. A language barrier would be an issue for the manager in England, however, it would be less so than in Germany.
