Zinedine Zidane’s former Real Madrid teammate Thomas Gravesen claims that Zidane would turn down a Manchester United offer.
According to rumours from France earlier this week, Zidane is one of United’s top candidates to succeed Erik ten Hag as manager. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the team’s new co-owner, reportedly made this assertion.
Since departing Real Madrid at the end of the 2020–21 season, when he failed to win a title, Zidane has not managed another team.
Due to the language barrier, the 51-year-old has already declared himself out of the running to be United’s next manager.
Furthermore, according to Gravesen, Zidane is hanging out for a chance to return to Real Madrid or take over as manager of his former team Marseille or the French national team.
‘I spoke to Zidane in Madrid two years ago and he told me that there are only three roles that he would like to accept,’ Gravesen told Discovery Plus.
‘And they are Marseille, [Real] Madrid and the French national team.
‘We were in Madrid two years ago and he told me exactly that. I also asked him if he was willing to manage again and there he told me that only if there were possibilities for those three.’
Regarding Zidane possibly leading United, Gravesen responded: ‘I would say that the team he had in Madrid was fantastic, and he was prepared from the beginning.
‘At United the situation is different, it is very difficult to do something with the team that Ten Hag has at the moment.’
A number of managers have been linked with the Man United job in recent months as Erik ten Hag’s job is still not secured at Old Trafford.
The Dutch manager is under severe pressure after United’s below-par season. With the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS at the club now, the speculation around ten Hag’s job has increased and the scrutiny is even more intense.
