“He needs guarantees if he wants to sign over there” - Emmanuel Petit offers opinion on Zinedine Zidane joining Manchester United
Pundit Emmanuel Petit recently discussed the possibility of former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane taking over as boss of Manchester United. Currently, Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag is under serious pressure after a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign.
The Manchester outfit are placed 14th in the Premier League standings, having racked up eight points in seven games so far. Opening up on the environment at Old Trafford, Petit told Manchester Evening News (via CaughtOffSide):
"I'm not sure that he speaks very good English as well. And communication is very important in the dressing room. Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants 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 players as well, the expectation of the club is not the same as 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. 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."
Zidane has been fairly successful during his time at Real Madrid, having won three UEFA Champions League trophies and two La Liga titles, among other honors. Ten Hag has been at Old Trafford since the summer of 2022 and has delivered an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup each.
Manchester United also considering former Borussia Dortmund manager to replace Erik ten Hag amid Zinedine Zidane rumors - Reports
Manchester United have been rumored to want to replace current manager Erik Ten Hag with a host of coaches, including Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel, among others. The latest of these names mentioned in this conversation is ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.
The news comes from The Sun, who claim that Sir Jim Ratcliffe spent multiple hours speaking with the executive committee of his club (via Standard). Terzic has been without a job since parting ways at the Signal Iduna Park in June this year.
The German served as the manager of Borussia Dortmund from the summer of 2022 up until this year. Overall, he remained in charge of the Bundesliga outfit for 96 matches across competitions and led the team to the Champions League final last year.