Zinedine Zidane gave Man Utd deal his blessing, agent's six

Zinedine Zidane gave Man Utd deal his blessing, agent's six-word admission, Instagram update

Ruben Amorim could be on thin ice at Manchester United with Zinedine Zidane linked with the club on several occasions over the years

Ruben Amorim's days at Manchester United could be numbered and Zinedine Zidane may be waiting in the wings. The Portuguese coach is clinging to his job following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Brentford, which left United in 14th place.

Amorim has struggled to implement his ideas amidst a rigid adherence to a 4-3-3 system that he can't seem to get right at Old Trafford. Last season saw the 40-year-old guide United to a 15th place in the league and defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.

Amorim is said to still have the backing of United's board. However, the club has a decent relationship with Real Madrid icon Zidane, who has also been linked with United over the years. It's thought that Zidane would no doubt emerge as a candidate again should United pull the trigger on their current manager's tenure.

Zidane's good relationship with United

Zidane has an impeccable CV, winning three Champions League titles and La Liga during a two-and-a-half year stint with Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018.

He returned to the club less than one year after his departure and won another La Liga title before stepping away from the role once again. There's no doubt that United fans would be happy to see the French legend in the Old Trafford dugout.

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In signs that could point to one that day that being a reality, Zidane appears to have a solid relationship with United. The Frenchman acquiesced to the idea of selling Raphael Varane to United when he was in charge of Los Blancos.

The Red Devils were linked with the centre-back for some time, with then-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a big fan. While Real could have kicked up a fuss, with Varane in the last year of his deal, Zidane reportedly smoothed over negotiations so the French World Cup winner could make a seamless move to United.

Agent's six-word statement

Zidane was linked with the United manager's job towards the end of Jose Mourinho's tenure in 2018. However, his agent, Alain Migliaccio, previously claimed: "It does not really attract him", when discussing the prospect of Zidane managing in the Premier League.

He added: "I do not think that he will manage in England. It is much less his style. I have discussed it with him." However, with Zidane still out of work since leaving Real in 2021 there is the possibility his stance has softened when it comes to taking a job in the Premier League.

There was also the intriguing factor that Zidane was even learning English around 2021, that was according to ex-Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit. However, Petit also had his reservations on Zidane making a switch to the UK.

"If you are a manager of a football club you need to speak different languages, " he told Bookmakers.co.uk. "Communication is very important, so if you do not speak the language when you arrive at a club like Manchester United, that could be a big problem.

"I’ve been told that he has been learning English recently, so I think he knows it’s important for his career, but Zinedine being linked with Manchester United – I don’t believe it, to be honest. Of course, he’s a big name but he never played in the Premier League and has very little connection with it, so as I said, I don’t believe it."

Social media update

Zidane has rather tantalisingly ended a short break from social media this week. The former Champions League winner posted a photo on Instagram, posing against the New York City skyline.

While he's clearly enjoying his time off, fans will now be keeping an eye on the 53-year-old's next move. The post is the first personal one he has shared for a week and speculation will be rife that he timed his new post just as rumours about him taking the United job have amped up once again.

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