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Emmanuel Petit has revealed his thoughts on the links between his former France teammate Zinedine Zidane and the managerial role at Manchester United.
As the Man United fanbase increasingly loses patience with current manager Erik ten Hag due to the club’s constant poor performances on the pitch, talk of potential replacements for Ten Hag has been on a constant rise.
While the likes of Thomas Tuchel have been punted as strong candidates for the managerial position, Zidane has also been viewed as a feasible replacement, given his impressive track record.
According to Petit, however, if United want to hire Zidane, they will need to meet several key requirements.
“Does he want to leave the sunny days of Madrid? His life is in Madrid; he is dedicated to Madrid,” Petit told the Manchester Evening News.
“I’m not sure that he speaks very good English as well. And communication is very important in the dressing room.” Petit continued.
Petit went on to specify exactly what Zidane would need in order for him to agree to join United. “Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United. At the moment, the environment at Manchester United for years has not been good.”
In the 1998 World Cup winner’s opinion, United’s current squad is will not meet Zidane’s high standards. “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.”
Still, Petit believes that Zidane can turn things around if given the chance. “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. 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.”
While Petit has his reservations about Zidane’s desire to manage United, it appears as if he may yet decide to join the club if he is given the freedom to carry out his agenda.
Yesterday, it was reported that Zidane would look to sign Barcelona’s Jules Kounde if he landed the United manager job.
Still, United fans will need to see where Ten Hag’s future lies. With the manager’s job security reportedly dependent on United’s results against Brentford and Fenerbahçe, the Dutch manager may just be able to save his job with some last-minute heroics.
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