Ratcliffe told dazzling Zinedine Zidane appointment is on if two conditions are met

Manchester United have been told they can still land the mind-blowing appointment of Zinedine Zidane as their next manager with one of the player’s former teammates naming the two guarantees Sir Jim Ratcliffe must put in place and amid fresh claims over when Erik ten Hag will face the sack.

The beleaguered Duchman is struggling to get a consistent tune out of his expensively assembled squad, with Manchester United languishing in 14th place in the Premier League heading into the recent international break. Statistically closer to the relegation zone than the top-four target he has been set, it is easy to see why Ten Hag is a man under serious pressure.

While an executive board meeting held in London last week resisted the opportunity to call time on the Ten Hag era just yet, the Dutchman is not out of the woods yet and speculation he faces the sack remains as strong as ever. To that end, sources have informed us that United are ready to appoint Thomas Tuchel should the axe fall.

But Tuchel appears in a hurry to get back into football as soon as possible and it was confirmed on Tuesday that the 51-year-old German has held talks with the FA over the possibility of succeeding Gareth Southgate as England manager.

As an alternative, United have speculatively been linked with a move for Real Madrid icon Zidane.

And now his former France teammate, Emmanuel Petit has refused to rule out the possibility and has revealed that a guarantee over signings and over the safety of his position were he to be appointed.

“I’m not sure that he speaks very good English as well. And communication is very important in the dressing room. Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United,” Petit told the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment, the environment at Manchester United for years has not been good. The stability of the bench, the level of the players as well, and the expectations of the club is not the same as it used to be. United is still a huge club, but not on the pitch anymore.

“And Zizou is very conscious and very careful about that, the quality of the players. At the moment, when you look at the team, I’m not convinced at all about the level of some players. If he takes the job at Manchester United, that means he’s got solutions.”

READ MORE: Zidane wants classy LaLiga defender as FIRST Man Utd signing in statement January raid

Ten Hag sack latest: Timeline set for axe as Tuchel hopes fade

While the prospects of landing Zidane remain somewhat ambitious, the fact remains that Ten Hag is very much a man under intense pressure.

United’s executive board members held a meeting in London last week with Ten Hag’s performances top of the agenda. And while we understand Ratcliffe has called for the removal of the Dutchman as manager, the 54-year-old has seemingly been granted another stay of execution.

However, that may only be shortlived and while sources have persistently confirmed to us that Ten Hag’s removal as manager is ‘just a matter of time’ a fresh report on Tuesday has revealed that he has now been set a two-game deadline to save himself from the axe.

And if United were to lose to both Brentford at home on Saturday and away to Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday week, the board will feel it is left with no choice but to call time on his reign.

Sources have also persistently informed us that Ratcliffe’s No. 1 pick to take on the job is Tuchel. But with the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss on Tuesday holding talks with the FA about succeeding Southgate, United are now in some danger of missing out on their top choice.

In the meantime, Ten Hag has continued to claim he has the support of the United board and defiantly predicted he would still be in charge for the Bees clash following their last outing, a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa last weekend.

The Dutchman, though, did return from a holiday on Monday to begin preparations for the crunch clash against Thomas Frank’s side and anything less than a win will heap even more pressure on his shoulders.

Man Utd transfer latest: Casemiro move deemed impossible / Bayern pair eyed

Any removal of Ten Hag as United boss is likely to set them back some £16m in compensation payments, with the decision to extend his contract as manager over the summer now looking like an expensive one.

As a result, it’s easy to see why Ratcliffe may be keeping a close eye on United’s outgoings and having taken the decision to remove Sir Alex Ferguson from the payroll on Tuesday, the billionaire is now ready to turn his focus back towards the playing squad and those underperforming but high-earning stars.

Next on the agenda, it seems, is Casemiro, with the Brazilian midfielder tipped to depart in 2025 as United look to unburden themselves from his hefty £350,000 a week salary.

However, two transfers have now been deemed impossible for Casemiro, while the only possible destination for the 32-year-old has also come to light.

While United did sign Manuel Ugarte over the summer, the Red Devils have found themselves linked with a fresh move to bring in Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka in 2025 as part of a double raid on the Bundesliga giants.

Zinedine Zidane’s managerial honours

Zinedine Zidane’s managerial honours with Real Madrid

If United could persuade Zidane to make United his next job, they would be landing a man who demands the utmost respect.

Regarded as one of the best players the world has seen, the 52-year-old has also managed to match his playing success in the dug-out over two spells at Real Madrid.

He won 11 major trophies in total during his time at the Bernabeu and remains the only manager to lift the Champions League for three years in a row.

Zidane also boasts a hugely impressive 62.53% win record while with Los Blancos, claiming victories in 200 of his 320 matches in charge. In his first spell, that was a staggering 70.47%.

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