Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag remained safe from the sack during the international break in October in spite of going five matches without a win in the last few weeks. The Dutchman remains in a precarious situation nonetheless and some more unfavourable results over the coming fixtures could cost him his job.
Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel have reportedly been sounded out about the possibility of replacing ten Hag but according to Football Transfers, Zinedine Zidane’s name has entered the picture with the Frenchman ‘extremely interested’ in pursuing the managerial role at Old Trafford.
The report adds that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been told by Zidane’s entourage that he would be ready to ‘accept any forthcoming offer’ with the INEOS chief particularly losing faith in Ten Hag. The recent Manchester United board meeting, however, suggested that a decision on the manager’s future is not in Ratcliffe’s hands.
Zidane would arguably be a better option than Tuchel
Zinedine Zidane won 11 trophies in his two tenures at Real Madrid, including a Champions League three-peat to etch his name into one of the world’s greatest coaches already. The Frenchman has not accepted any job offer after departing the Spanish outfit in 2021 although that could possibly change very soon.
The 52-year-old was hopeful of replacing Didier Deschamps as France’s head coach but given that he intends on guiding them until the 2026 World Cup at the very least, Zidane has opened the door to joining another club until there is an opportunity with his national side. For United, he could perhaps be a better appointment than Tuchel.
If Tuchel were to replace Ten Hag, he would require an allocation of funds in the transfer market to acquire players that fit into his strategy. Manchester United might not be in a position to do so immediately as they provided significant backing to Ten Hag and the results did not yield as much success as they desired.
Zidane, on the other hand, will likely be happy to work with what he has at his disposal. The Frenchman was successful in doing so at Real Madrid in his second tenure when he won La Liga in a transitional phase for the club and also took them to the last four of the Champions League in spite of being plagued with injuries.
With him at the helm, there would be a sense of responsibility and respect as well in the dressing room given Zidane’s reputation as an all-time footballing icon. Zidane may even be able to get the best out of Casemiro having worked well with the Brazilian at Madrid.
It will be interesting to see which way the pendulum swings between Tuchel and Zidane, as well as how much more time Ten Hag has at the helm before exhausting all of his support from Manchester United’s hierarchy.
