Manchester United are in the process of hiring a new head coach for the summer but Zinedine Zidane is certainly not in the race.
Gary Neville has revealed from his talks with the club that Ineos have begun the head coach process, with current interim Michael Carrick among the favourites for the job.
Many of United’s top manager candidates have dropped out, including Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel. Now, Zinedine Zidane can be completely ruled out, even though the chances of him arriving at Old Trafford looked slim anyway.
According to ESPN, Zidane has a personal agreement to succeed Didier Deschamps as France national team head coach in the summer once the 2026 World Cup is concluded.
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The first rumours of Zidane’s potential appointment at Old Trafford began in 2021 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was under pressure.
As quoted by The Independent, Neville tipped Zidane as a fix to United’s problems. At the time, Zidane had just left Real Madrid following his second spell in charge of the Spanish giants.
Zidane famously won three successive Champions League titles in charge of Madrid. He has not had another managerial job since leaving his role in 2021.
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There were reports that United were pursuing Zidane but ultimately it was Erik ten Hag who was given the job.
But Zidane was back on United’s radar in 2024 when Ten Hag was under pressure. United fans wanted Zidane, but there was never any real substance to the rumours.
Eventually, United were told that Zidane wasn’t interested in the job as he doesn’t speak English and was not overly tempted by the role at Old Trafford.
The 53-year-old was holding out for the France national team job, and now he is set to take charge.
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Michael Carrick can follow Zinedine Zidane blueprint at Man Utd
Incredibly, there are striking similarities between Carrick and Zidane when he first took charge at Madrid.
A former player, and midfielder no less, Zidane went from being in charge of Madrid’s B side and was promoted to the manager role in 2016 with no other experience.
Much has been made of Carrick’s lack of experience, but his record at United speaks for itself.
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There are even comparisons to be made between Carrick’s style of play and that of Zidane, who also relied on quick and dangerous counter-attacks to sting opponents.
Zidane went from an iconic player to one of the most wanted managers on the market because Madrid gave him a chance. United should do the same with Carrick.
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