Why Zinedine Zidane is the perfect candidate for Manchester United

[Nergal]

 

The hunt begins.

With Jose Mourinho’s turbulent two-and-a-half year reign now consigned to a footnote in the history of England’s most successful club, Manchester United face a six-month search for a long-term successor.

It’s been five years since the managerial legend that is Sir Alex Ferguson finally ended his tenure at United, and the club have already seen the backs of three high profile appointments.

Incredibly, the initial contract signed by his immediate successor David Moyes doesn’t expire for another 194 days – a remarkable notion that indicates just how crucial the next managerial selection is at Old Trafford.

They quite simply have to get it right.

According to initial odds, two candidates stand head and shoulders above the pack, with Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane the early frontrunners for one of football’s most glamorous jobs.

Both come with their pros and cons, but the case for the latter is truly compelling, and has been the subject of unwavering rumours for months even with Mourinho still comfortable at the helm. Even before a ball was kicked in the infamous third season of the Special One’s reign, column inches began to be filled with suggestions the Zidane was being eyed for the role.

The Frenchman has been out of work since parting ways with Real Madrid at the end of May following an unprecedented third straight Champions League triumph, and continues to loom as an intriguing option for the world’s biggest clubs.

As it stands, the broader footballing world remain in the dark over whether he even wants the United job — although it would be presumably hard to turn down, even amid the tumult of the current climate.

Back in early October, word spread of a conversation between Zidane and Mourinho, with the former reported to have told the latter that he was not instigating a coup to nab his job. When questioned on the rumour, Mourinho was understandably cagey.

“That’s a private matter. I’m not going to answer it,” he told reporters.

“I’m not asking you who did you speak with yesterday or this morning, who was your last phone call, that’s a private matter.”