Manchester United have issued a response to speculation that Zinedine Zidane could replace Jose Mourinho. Mourinho’s position as United manager looks more precarious than ever after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Brighton.
The manager and the club have not seen eye to eye for months, with Mourinho’s constant complaints over a lack of funding in the transfer market beginning to grate.
The Portuguese is now the favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season, and we have picked out five candidates to replace him.
Top of that list was Zidane, but any potential interest in the former Real Madrid boss has been dismissed by United. Sources quote a ‘senior club source’ – who presumably offered the alias of ‘Ted Goodward’ – as saying: “Why would we discuss Zidane when there is no job available?”
Now we don’t know what to think. All stories report that Mourinho ‘retains the full support’ of the United boardroom, while the Times suggest that Zidane ‘is interested in taking over at Old Trafford if United sack’ the 55-year-old.
Zinedine Zidanehas been said to be the favourite to become Manchester United’s next manager as the pressure intensifies on Jose Mourinho.
The United boss fumed after his side slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton yesterday, with several fans appearing to have already lost patience with the Portuguese. Mourinho’s side were anemic at the Amex and the defeat came just days after a L’Equipe report claimed Zidane is eyeing a return to management in the Premier League, with United at the top of his list.
Zidane has been out of work since he announced his resignation as Real Madrid boss at the end of May.
The Frenchman won the Champions League in each of his three seasons in charge at the Bernabeu and Paddy Power have priced him up as the 2/1 favourite to take over from Mourinho as United manager should he leave Old Trafford.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was the second favourite to take the reins at 6/1, while Napoli’s Carlo Ancelotti can be backed at 11/1 and former player Ryan Giggs is available at 13/1.
Speaking after confirming he would be stepping down as Madrid boss over the summer, Zidane said: “I think this team needs to keep winning but I think after three years a change is needed, something different, a different message, different ways of going about things.”