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Despite Manchester United siding with Erik ten Hag at the start of the international break, several managers including Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel are still being linked with the club to replace Erik ten Hag.
Whilst ten Hag has been saved temporarily, the 54-year-old needs to start getting better results to keep himself in the driver’s seat, and to avoid financial penalties with the clubs’ sponsors.
If United fail to finish in the top four and qualify for Champions League football next season, United will have to pay Adidas a £10 million penalty for failing to meet their contract clause, risking a potential breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
As a result, even though United are standing by ten Hag, there is still a lot of scrutiny and pressure around him.
Tuchel is currently the front-runner to take over from the Dutchman if United do part ways with ten Hag over the coming weeks if the results fail to come. However, the French legend Zinedine Zidane has now weighed in on the potential job offer.
Recent speculation has linked the World Cup winner with the job at Old Trafford, however, his former teammate and former Chelsea and Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has discussed the likelihood of Zidane taking up the role at Old Trafford.
Zinedine Zidane and his considerations for managing United
Manchester Evening News has reported that Petit explained that Zidane would take the job at United if he felt he had the answers to their problems.
However, Petit’s understanding is that Zidane is unlikely to take the job due to the communication barrier with his limited English and the current calibre of the squad.
Speaking about Zidane joining The Red Devils, Petit said: “Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United.”
He continued: “At the moment, the environment at Manchester United for years has not been good.
“The stability of the bench, the level of the players as well, the expectation of the club is not the same that it used to be. United is still a huge club, but not on the pitch anymore.
“And Zizou is very conscious and very careful about that, the quality of the players.
“Could he manage to overturn the situation over there? I think the only answer is yes. But at the moment, when you look at the team, I’m not convinced at all about the level of some players.
“So if I am Zizou, I think it will be very easy, actually, to answer this question [of joining United]. If I don’t speak English on top of it, that will be more problems in terms of communication in the dressing room.
“If he takes the job at Manchester United, that means he’s got solutions. At the moment, I’m not sure a lot of people have the solution to turn the situation at Manchester United.”
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