Zinedine Zidane Set to Return to Coaching as Sir Jim Ratcliffe Among Others Wanting Him Back 

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, has confessed that he will return to coaching after having been taken a break from it for the last three years. Zidane has only had two stints as Real Madrid’s manager during his coaching career.

He made way for Carlo Ancelotti in 2021 as he left the team due to mistrust with the Real Madrid administration and board.

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Manchester United’s Pursuit of Zinedine Zidane: Ratcliffe Determined

Manchester United Co-Owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hellbent on bringing Zinedine Zidane back to to Manchester United to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. These are reports coming out from France by Foot Mercato.

There are ongoing discussions and rumors about Zinedine Zidane possibly becoming the manager of Manchester United, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

According to Foot Mercato, Sir Jim Ratcliffe CEO of INEOS, is in love with the idea of bringing back the legendary coach back to the sidelines through Manchester United.

Plus Foot Mercato claims that Ratcliffe has already held discussions internally with Erik Ten Hag about being replaced by the three-time UEFA Champions League champion.

According to the French news source, the 71-year-old Manchester Co-owner also has plans of discarding 11 players from Manchester United in order to replenish the squad and make them competitive again.

Even though he’s unemployed right now, Zidane isn’t free to sign with Manchester United as Bayern Munich is also interested in signing him since Thomas Tuchel is leaving the Allianz Arena this summer.

So, it looks like Manchester United will have a tough time convincing Zidane to join with the offers he might have at his table.

Zidane’s Departure from Real Madrid and Future Coaching Aspirations

Explaining the reasons for his departure from Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane had said: “I’m going, but I’m not jumping overboard, nor am I tired of coaching.”

“I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term. I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know when you don’t win, you have to leave.”

Although Zidane has been linked to PSG and Manchester United in the past, none of them came true. There were even speculations that he might replace Didier Deschamps’ at the French national team.

He made his first appearance outside France in Italy, expressing interest in coaching there during a recent program about Marcello Lippi’s life.

“Why not? Anything can happen, but at the moment I’m doing something else. I am sure that I will return to the bench, I would like to coach again.”

The documentary made by Diario AS, he explained, ”Marcello Lippi was the one who made me come to Juventus, the first who believed in me and let me play. It wasn’t easy for him, I came from France, and everything was different, but Lippi made me become what I later became. As a player I had great coaches like Lippi or Ancelotti, but everyone has to follow their own path.” 

Zidane was full of praise for Lippi who led the Azzurri to a World Cup victory over his France team in the 2006 World Cup Final. The Italian coach defeated France in the finals which would eventually become Zidane’s last game as an official player and for the infamous headbutt.

Zidane is in no hurry to management though and won’t take any hasty decisions because he would not enter a club without knowing if his position is appreciated enough or not. Afterall Zidane’s fate is in his own’s hands.

Zidane won three straight UEFA Champions Leagues after replacing Rafael Benitez as manager in 2016, enroute becoming the first and only manager in history to successfully defend the European Cup. The man from Marseille left in 2018 only to return in 2019 for two seasons. Overall Zidane has a career any manager in world would be envy of with an outstanding 190 victories in the 301 games he managed.