Zinedine Zidane has the preference to become the manager of Manchester United amid interest from Bayern Munich, according to French publication L’Equipe.
The 51-year-old has been out of duty since leaving the head coach role at Madrid in 2021, but he continues to be linked with several elite clubs in Europe.
L’Equipe today reveal that Bayern are extremely keen on having Zidane as their next manager, but the Frenchman has reservations over taking over at the helm.
Bayern would assure Zidane with the opportunity to win titles immediately, but he finds the German language and life in Bavaria to be a major obstacle for him.
Zidane prefers a move to United instead and he is monitoring the situation at the club.
The world-class manager can not speak English too, but he has better grasp of understanding it.
Zidane would be a risky appointment despite his reputation
United had a good first season under manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutch tactician ended the club’s six-year trophy drought and they finished an impressive third in the Premier League.
Ten Hag’s second year has been disappointing, but injuries to key players have played a big part. Regardless of how the season ends, we believe he should get the vote of confidence.
The 54-year-old has developed the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo this term. With his track record of handling young players, he appears the right manager to take the club forward.
Zidane could be interested in a potential vacancy, but we have some reservations. The former World Cup winner worked with a star-studded squad at Madrid with several proven match winners.
At United, the situation is entirely different with the need to offload senior stars who have underperformed. The club could give more importance to young signings with potential.
Zidane had a two-year spell with Madrid’s B team, but he did not face a similar scenario with the senior squad. In our view, INEOS should stick with Ten Hag for another season before making a judgement.