Former Real Madrid Coach Zinedine Zidane is set to become the manager of Manchester United after Erig Ten Hag sacking today.
Zinedine Zidane is the perfect choice, according to former Manchester United attacker Louis Saha, to turn around the team’s woes.
Although Saha values the efforts of current manager Erik ten Hag, he thinks Zidane’s unwavering standards may give the team’s mindset a much-needed lift. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner, is at a turning point in Ten Hag’s career following a season in which he won the FA Cup but also seen United fall to their lowest-ever Premier League position of eighth.
“Zidane is the manager I would dream to have at Manchester United for obvious reasons, he would do well and he’s motivated to come back into football and I think it will be difficult for him to stay out for another year,” Saha said in an interview with OLBG (via the Mirror).
“They just don’t seem to be taking the same attitude that Zidane would have. In order to succeed, United needs ten players who are passionate about returning to the top of the game. Unfortunately, too many of their players tend to lose their intensity and become inconsistent.”
Saha said he was happy to see Ten Hag working hard at Old Trafford, but he also said Zidane would be a “step up.” The former Real Madrid manager, who led the team to three straight Champions League medals and two La Liga crowns, has been unemployed since 2021.
Winner of the Champions League Zidane was a “very hard worker” who “never asked his management for anything,” according to Saha, a teammate from France’s 2006 World Cup winning squad. Although United has just reorganized their boardroom team in an effort to solve problems that have beset them recently, one major area of worry is still recruiting.
The Brazil winger Antony, who cost Ajax £80 million, has had difficulty recouping that investment, and there have been disagreements over the enormous contracts given to established players like Raphael Varane and Casemiro. Saha, meanwhile, thinks Zidane’s capacity to motivate a shift in perspective—something he demonstrated with Real Madrid—may potentially be a game-changer for United.
But he pointed out that Zidane would have to deal with a subpar transfer policy if he were to take over at Old Trafford. However, Saha believes Zidane’s insistence on getting his players to give it their all might increase their chances of triumph.
