Zinedine Zidane - 3 time CL winning manager without a job
- Thread starter Bastian
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If we're to believe what Castles is saying is true, I don't like the sound of us trying to convince someone to come. They should be enthusiastic and relishing the prospect of managing a giant club like United without having to be warmed to the idea. It isn't ideal that his wife doesn't want him to take the job and live in Manchester either.
It's nice but it's not how things work when you are targetting the best. Clubs and companies will have to convince those people because they are in demand.
You're probably right and in fairness I'd still take a half-arsed Zidane over Rodgers.
Just to the end of the season would be perfect, he’s clearly not interested long term in living in the UK but he sets up his teams well and that’s genuinely all I want right now.
Ultimately, if he takes the job it means he wants it. He's not going to take the job if he doesn't want to, so saying "yeah but does he really want to be here" is a bit pointless when he's chosen to sign the contract despite having all the other options that involve not joining us.. This is not like a player being forced out his old club and being given no option.
Secondly, even worst case if he came in and resigned in the summer 2022, that's still a win for us. It means we get Ole out the door and have a chance of salvaging something this season. We'll just get a new manager in when he wants to leave. We need to break this mentality that it's an absolute disaster if the club ever has to change manager and it means a complete rebuild every time there's a managerial change. You recruit top quality players and get the best managers in to achieve success with them, it really doesn't have to be more complicated than that.
Relieved to be reading more about Zidane links and not Rodgers. Sorry, I can't ever want an ex-Liverpool coach at my club. Especially not over a three time Champions League winning coach.
I'm not sure about Duncan Castles, hasn't really got anything right since the Mourinho days.
Zidane isn't coming. Ole is here to stay. We could get battered 5-0 by Watford and they won't do anything, because if they were even anywhere near that point in the road then he'd have gone during the break.
So, we are to believe they are really chasing a guy who is not overly interested in coming to England, never was as a player, seems less so as a manager, he doesn't speak much English and if reports are to be believed really has his eye on the France job next year.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still jump at the chance of Zidane coming here tomorrow. I just don't like the idea of him (reportedly) having the idea of managing us sold to him and his wife not wanting to live here. It is a concern but certainly not a deal-breaker.
I'd rather go for a hungry up-and-coming manager like Ten Hag who is possibly more motivated to manage us and a better long-term option.
Does that sound like something we wouldn’t do?
In the outer stratosphere.
Duncan Castles had some in-the-know stories when Jose was here because he speaks to Jorge Mendes, but other than that he's listed as a category 4 journalist. A complete bullshit and recycle prophet.
Let's say we discuss this fictional scenario of Zidane coming. Does he have his own coaching staff? Because there needs to be some serious overhaul and though I rate Zidane tactically - he's no Klopp or Guardiola.
In the latest podcast from Castles, he says one of his sources is a "friend" of Zidane who says Zidane is interested.
This may be spurious, but does anyone know if Evra is close with Zidane? Castles has got exclusive interviews with Evra in the past and reported on his transfer activity when he was still playing, so there could be a link there. We also know Evra was used to convince Ronaldo to rejoin us in the summer.
This may be spurious, but does anyone know if Evra is close with Zidane? Castles has got exclusive interviews with Evra in the past and reported on his transfer activity when he was still playing, so there could be a link there. We also know Evra was used to convince Ronaldo to rejoin us in the summer.
Cant see him coming if his wife is dead set against living in england and Manchester specifically.
I wouldn't say Evra is a friend of Zidane, Zidane retired in 2006 before Evra was a regular in the France squad. I don't know anything that would point to Zidane confiding this information to Evra. Maybe Cantona, Varane or Ronaldo/Mendes himself but never Evra.
Really ought to have been done before the internationals started. Don’t see it happening unfortunately. Would love to be wrong though…
The only former teammates he is definitely friend with are Barthez and Lizarazu.
I was mentioning in terms of the United connection, the only players that have a relationship with United and also may have a relationship with Zizou are Cantona, Varane/Ronaldo and as you mentioned Barthez (who I forgot about).
Maybe Blanc but I guess the whole North African Quota debacle may have ruined whatever relationship they had.
Again I'm only guessing. However, I assume the guy Duncan Castles spoke to has a relationship with United as well as Zidane.
Maybe Beckham ?
I would take Potter over this slaphead
Realistically, if Castles has the connections to get the inside track on Mendes clients as people on here tend to accept, it's not hard to believe he has sources in other camps whether that be players managers or agents. He regularly reports on Raiola clients in a similar fashion like Haaland, Pogba, De Ligt etc.
It feels unlikely that he's completely fabricated this out of thin air and we've never actually contacted Zidane at all. But definitely possible he's throwing shit at the wall for clicks.
I don't doubt Castle's connections, I just doubt this particular story. If it's true Zidane wants us and we want Zidane, we just had the best chance to complete and get the deal over the line. Now we're stuck in a really messy fixture list that get's worse and worse until mid Jan. Don't see us changing managers during that sticky fixture list. Maybe they're talking about taking over during the summer, would make more sense. Who knows.
I know folk are getting desperate and cling on to any news that might seem a way beyond Ole's wheel, but when you starting thinking Duncan fecking Castle has some inside information about ZZ then we are hitting rock bottom.
Has this guy EVER got anything right? Nah.
Has this guy EVER got anything right? Nah.
Now that I think about it, it sounds like exactly the sort of thing these guys would do. Probably ask him how many zero's he wants to convince him and tag on one more for good measure.
Yeah this one is definitely dead in the water if that's true
You're out of your mind.
At least we won't need an interpreter!
Not for nothing but all this salivating over Zidane when he can barely speak a lick of english. 
Arguably? I'd say it's pretty clearly better. Hell, it would be better than what we have right now if not for the fact Benzema and Vinicius are two greatest players of all time now
I agree that the current Man Utd squad is better overall than the Real Madrid that Zidane has worked with during his second stint there.
I also find it crazy how underrated (and I don't normally like to say that players / managers are under or overrated) his achievements at Real Madrid are. Winning the Champions League 3 consecutive times will look better and better as time goes on whether other clubs are unable to match that achievement or even struggle to win it back. And his record in La Liga also definitely stacked up.
I also find it crazy how underrated (and I don't normally like to say that players / managers are under or overrated) his achievements at Real Madrid are. Winning the Champions League 3 consecutive times will look better and better as time goes on whether other clubs are unable to match that achievement or even struggle to win it back. And his record in La Liga also definitely stacked up.
I don’t get why people are going on about Zidane not being able to speak English etc
He speaks French (obviously) Italian and Spanish
Considering you have a lot of players that speaks either French Italian or Spanish…communication with a lot of your players shouldn’t be a problem.
He’ll have back room staff that speak English for the none Bilingual British lads.
The players that are bilingual and speak either French Italian or Spanish:
Ronaldo
Pogba
Varane
Fred
Cavani
Fernandes
Van de beek (Dutch/French)
Martial
De Gea
Telles
Mata
Baily
And probably more within the squad but that’s a good chunk. Speaking English would of course help but he will be able to communicate fluently with a lot of your players from the off, many being the big guns.
He speaks French (obviously) Italian and Spanish
Considering you have a lot of players that speaks either French Italian or Spanish…communication with a lot of your players shouldn’t be a problem.
He’ll have back room staff that speak English for the none Bilingual British lads.
The players that are bilingual and speak either French Italian or Spanish:
Ronaldo
Pogba
Varane
Fred
Cavani
Fernandes
Van de beek (Dutch/French)
Martial
De Gea
Telles
Mata
Baily
And probably more within the squad but that’s a good chunk. Speaking English would of course help but he will be able to communicate fluently with a lot of your players from the off, many being the big guns.
Honestly, Manchester is a hard sell to anyone that’s lived on the continent. Unless you fancy a piss up and some football, it doesn’t have much to offer, especially when you factor in the European opinion of the British.
Then you’ve got the issue of United apparently being a mega club but spending badly, which suggests the board don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It could be career suicide for someone like Zidane who’s stock has never been higher.
It should be fairly easy to convince players to join but for a manager who doesn’t even speak the language it’s going to be hard to convince him.
True, Manchester weather has long been an issue, especially in past when players had the option of Spain or (more so in the past) Italy. No top manager with ambitions/ options will be keen to join United. Woodward is seen as a joke in the football world, depsite the spin our scouting and player acquisition strategy is still a mess, etc. The recent renewal for Ole further screams amateurs running the club.
I'd personally take Zidane until June if that's all he would take.
- It is a huge upgrade on Ole.
- It gives us a competent manager to come in and save THIS season while we build a shortlist for next June.
- June could throw up options that arent there now.... Poch could leave PSG for example.
- It is a huge upgrade on Ole.
- It gives us a competent manager to come in and save THIS season while we build a shortlist for next June.
- June could throw up options that arent there now.... Poch could leave PSG for example.
This is actually not a fact and his roles at the ECA tells a different story. United is an attractive destination for 99% of people in Football, the issue is that the 1% has many options some of them are better suits for their families/lifestyles and if you really want them, you will have to convince them.
Quality on paper means shit if the players don't do it on the pitch.
There are at least 2 areas on the pitch and in the squad that it's not. At centre back and midfield.
The single most important one is in midfield. Going off most used players it's a no contest really.
Real
Casemeiro/Kroos/Modric/Valverde/Isco
Utd
Fred/McT/Bruno/Pogba/Matic
Why does the Internet only ever see things in absolutes/black and white? Not like people can't be swayed one way or another or change opinions. I recall Conte didn't fancy Spurs in the summer, look how that turned out.