Erik ten Hag is walking a tightrope and there are rumours that Zinedine Zidane could become the next Man United manager.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has officially taken charge of the footballing operations at Old Trafford and amongst the multiple changes that he is initiating, the new minority owner is reportedly keen to replace Ten Hag with Zidane.
Erik ten Hag has been having a dismal season with Manchester United and they have already lost 10 out of their first 26 Premier League games. United’s poor form has raised a lot of questions regarding Ten Hag’s future and it seems like Zizou is one of the favourites to replace him.
Zinedine Zidane vs Erik ten Hag:
Ten Hag did wonders with a young Ajax squad a few seasons ago but the manager has failed to replicate his tactics at Old Trafford. He was brought in to implement an assertive and possession-based football but in two years, the 54-year-old has failed to impress.
Last campaign, United did fairly well under ETH but instead of moving forward, it’s been one step forward and two steps back for the Red Devils. Obviously, constant injury problems have been a major problem for Ten Hag but even when the main players have been fit, Man United have looked dismal.
In 98 matches, Ten Hag has a points-per-match of 1.95, dropping points in 38 games.
He won six titles with Ajax and last season, he won the Carabao Cup with Manchester United but forget about winning a silverware, United are likely to miss out on a top-four finish. Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal will secure the first three spots on the EPL table while United are fighting Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa for the final Champions League spot for the next campaign.
On the other hand, there’s Zinedine Zidane who has managed Real Madrid in two stints(16-18 and then from 19-21) winning 11 major silverwares with the club, including three consecutive Champions Leagues.
From 2015/16 up until 17/18, Zidane’s Real Madrid team did not have any major and it’s often regarded as the best European team of the new century.
On paper, there’s no match between Ten Hag and Zinedine Zidane but the condition in which Manchester United are in right now, anyone will face an uphill battle restoring the club back to its former glory.
However, one thing that Zinedine Zidane has on his side is that he has the experience of working with superstars and the big egos at United won’t eye dare to look eye to eye with the French legend. A few months ago, Ten Hag told the media that Jadon Sancho wasn’t training up to the mark but instead of holding talks with his manager, Sancho went ahead and made a public statement rejecting all the allegations. There’s no way, he or anyone else will be able to do such a thing with Zidane.
Will the Frenchman accept the offer from Man United?
This is not the first time Man United have been linked with Zidane because in 2022, the club had tried to name him manager but Zizou rejected the offer claiming that he did not speak fluent English.
We don’t know if he’s taken English lessons in these two years but there’s a chance he will reject United once again.
Bayern Munich want Zinedine Zidane to replace Thomas Tuchel at the end of this season and at the moment, the job in Germany is a much lucrative one for him.
At Manchester United, he will have to start a rebuilding job which will take at least two or three seasons but at Bayern, he has the chance to win trophies almost instantly. Bayern have been having a dismal season but they should get back on track next season, that’s for sure.
Ten Hag’s job is very much in danger and if Man United cannot finish in the top four then he’s definitely going to be sacked and even though there are several other candidates, Zinedine Zidane is definitely top of the crop.
Stats via Transfermarkt
