Zinedine Zidane once wanted to sign four players for Manchester United if he had ever been given the Old Trafford hot seat. The Frenchman was unquestionably one of the greatest players of his generation on the pitch, but off it, he cultivated quite the reputation, in no small part due to his three Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
Since leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, Zidane's name has been linked with several high-profile jobs, including the French national team, Chelsea and, of course, the Red Devils. His name is still being mentioned to this day as the pressure continues to mount on Ruben Amorim. However, when he was touted as a potential replacement for José Mourinho in 2018, he had a shortlist of four stars he wanted to bring with him to the Theatre of Dreams.
Zidane's Four Man Manchester United Shortlist
According to a report from The Mirror at the time, Zidane was one of the options the United hierarchy were keeping tabs on should they decide to replace Mourinho. As it happened, the Portuguese coach would be sacked shortly after, but it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who took the job on a permanent basis following an incredible run as interim manager.
Had things gone differently and the Frenchman actually taken to the dugout in the North West, it is believed that the four players he would have targeted were then Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, Bayern Munich duo Thiago Alcantara and James Rodriguez, and Paris Saint-Germain goal machine Edinson Cavani.
Three of them would eventually move to the Premier League, with the anomaly being Kroos, who stayed in the Spanish capital before retiring in 2024 off the back of a double-winning campaign which saw him collect the last of his six Champions League titles.
Zidane also had previous experience working with Rodriguez at Madrid, though the star-studded nature of the attack at the time meant the Colombian couldn’t find his feet. While a reunion may have been on the cards in an alternative universe, the playmaker instead eventually joined Everton but failed to make the desired impact at Goodison Park.
Thiago would also move to Merseyside, joining Liverpool after they had claimed their first Premier League title in 30 years. While his technical quality was clear, the physicality of the league placed too many demands on the Spanish international’s body, and he would suffer frequent injuries before calling it a day.
As for Cavani, he would actually join United in 2020 on a free from Paris Saint-Germain.
Though fitness issues meant he wasn’t always reliable, his quality as a number nine was far superior to what United fans had become accustomed to in recent years. That, combined with his relentless work rate, saw him become a cult hero at Old Trafford, with the Uruguayan even scoring in a Europa League final defeat to Villarreal.
Now 38, Cavani is still playing in Argentina, turning out for Boca Juniors.