Zinedine Zidane has revealed the reason why he couldn’t currently take the Manchester United job: his grasp of English.
The 50-year-old left his role as Real Madrid manager last season and has been linked to roles at PSG and Manchester United. However, in an interview with French publication, L’Equipe, Zidane said he would not currently consider a position at Old Trafford as he is not fluent in English. He then added that he wants to manage the national team one day.
“If I go to a club, it’s to win,” he told L’Equipe.
“I say this in all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult.
“When people say to me: ‘Do you want to go to Manchester?’ I understand English but I don’t fully master it.
“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It’s a global context. Me, I know what I need to win.”
Despite club football offering the easiest route back into management, Zidane does believe that he still has unfinished business on the international football stage.
The France national team job is expected to become available after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year, with reports suggesting that this will be Didier Deschamps’ last tournament as manager.
“I’m not finished with Les Bleus,” Zidane added. “I want to do it, of course. I will be [France coach], I hope, one day. When? That’s not up to me.
“I want to come full circle with the France national team. I met this French team as a player, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me!
“It is the peak. So, since I went through that and now I am a coach, the French team is firmly anchored in my head. Succeed [Didier] Deschamps? I don’t know. If it has to be done, it will be done, at that time or not.
“When I say I want to take charge of the French national team one day, I’m assuming. Currently, a team has been created. With their goals, but if the opportunity comes later, I will be there.
“Again, it’s not up to me. My deepest desire is there. The French national team is the most beautiful thing there is.”
