Manchester United had the option of bringing in Zinedine Zidane, but decided against it due to the potential influence on a crucial player.
The Red Devils are still linked with former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who is seen as a possible replacement for under-fire boss Erik ten Hag.
This is not the first time Zidane has been linked with a move to Manchester United.
During his playing days, the World Cup winner was rumored to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, but the Premier League club ultimately decided against the transfer, owing to Eric Cantona’s stature at the Theatre of Dreams.
During his playing career, Zidane earned numerous awards, including crowns in both Italy and Spain. Despite being out of employment since 2021, his managerial career has followed the same pattern.
Zidane won three UEFA Champions Leagues with Real Madrid but has not returned to the bench since leaving the Bernabeu.
Former United chairman Martin Edwards said in 2017 why the club passed on the opportunity to bring one of the most illustrious players of all time to England.
“When Zidane was at Bordeaux, Les Kershaw, the chief scout, was telling me we should be interested in him and I mentioned it to Alex,” he told Manchester United’s website in 2017 (via The Independent).
“Alex said that Eric [Cantona] had also mentioned Zidane to him but Alex felt Zidane played in the same position as Eric.
“Having gone over to France to persuade Eric to re-sign for us, after the Crystal Palace incident [when Cantona was banned for eight months after clashing with a football fan at Selhurst Park in 1995], he felt that, if he had brought Zidane in, it may have affected Eric’s position, so he stuck with Eric.”
