Manchester United have endured a torrid campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so far. Despite being backed with three big signings during the summer transfer window, the Norwegian has failed to get the best from the players at his disposal. And with the crisis at Old Trafford still ongoing, Zinedine Zidane is now being strongly linked with the post.
According to The Times, United are pushing ahead with plans to bring Zidane to Old Trafford.
The 49-year-old is currently on the market, meaning he’ll require no compensation fee, following his decision to leave Real Madrid back in the summer.
United are hopeful he’ll accept the role, despite the France job appearing to be Zidane’s preference at the current moment in time.
Should they be successful in hiring the Frenchman, it would certainly be a big statement of intent.
So Express Sport will now take a look at four trump cards the Red Devils hierarchy can use when it comes to acquiring Zidane’s services.
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A reunion with old boys
If Zidane does take over at United, he’ll be reunited with two of his former players at Real Madrid.
He helped transform Cristiano Ronaldo into one of the game’s greatest during their time at the Bernabeu together, with the duo often hailing each other.
And Zidane also managed Raphael Varane, aiding the centre-back’s rise to superstardom.
Both players would be certainties to start if Zidane took charge, especially given their obvious talents.
And that would give the Frenchman a solid spine as he’d look to win the Premier League title at the first time of asking.
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A platform to win trophies
There’s a sense that this United side are underachieving at present.
And that’s because the squad at Solskjaer’s disposal is arguably the strongest they’ve had since the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Therefore, Zidane would be inheriting a bunch of players with the potential to get better right from the very start.
United have solid defenders and attackers on their books, with the midfield their weak link.
But Zidane, by showing some astuteness, would have a platform to achieve positive results from the very beginning.
Transfer backing
While United do sometimes underspend, they do often back managers.
David Moyes never got the support he deserved but Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer have all been given plenty of funds in the years since.
And that’s another thing that could tempt Zidane to the club.
He left Real because he was denied transfer targets by Florentino Perez, leading to the pair’s previously close relationship to fall apart.
But United would satisfy Zidane by assuring him he’d be able to sign whoever he wants – starting with the January transfer window.
A chance to cement himself
Regardless of what Zidane does in the future, he can boast of being one of the best managers there’s ever been.
After all, winning three Champions League titles on the spin with Real Madrid was a sensational achievement – and one that’s unlikely to be eclipsed in the foreseeable future.
Yet, still, there are some doubts over Zidane.
How much was Real’s success in the Champions League down to him? Sure, the tactics and style were good. But they had Ronaldo, Varane, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and countless others.
Some feel Zidane needs to win at another team, where he doesn’t have superstars in every position, to show he really belongs with the best in the business.
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