Zinedine Zidane "would bring way more confidence" to the current crop of Manchester United players than Ruben Amorim, believes Louis Saha.
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Amorim under scrutiny at Man UtdHas not been able to lift mood at Old TraffordZidane backed to succeed the PortugueseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Amorim, who stepped in following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in November, has failed to reverse the club's nosedive in form. United now languish in 14th place in the Premier League table, and with their domestic campaign in tatters, hopes of rescuing the season now rest solely on their Europa League run.
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As speculation continues to swirl around the managerial position at Old Trafford, Saha believes there is only one man who fits the bill if the board decide to part ways with Amorim in the near future: his fellow countryman Zidane.
Zidane’s managerial credentials are unquestionable. Across his two stints with Real Madrid, he secured three Champions League titles, two La Liga trophies, two UEFA Super Cups, and a pair of Club World Cups.
WHAT SAHA SAID
Despite Zidane’s remarkable success, his reluctance to work in the Premier League is well-documented. The former France and Real midfielder has previously admitted that his limited proficiency in English has made him hesitant to pursue opportunities in England.
In an interview with Saha acknowledged this issue, stating"Maybe the only thing that is stopping him from taking the job is his English, or perhaps he’s not attracted to the Premier League in some way. That's what I heard from interviews. But so many people talk instead of him, so I don’t know for sure."
Nonetheless, Saha remains adamant that Zidane’s ability to inspire, lead, and adapt would outweigh any linguistic limitations.
"But I definitely am sure about his quality as a manager, as a human being. He has a natural aura, he’s able to impart confidence and tactical awareness. A lot comes naturally to him," he said. "There are a lot of things that come naturally but he's someone that works hard. He wants to really understand the philosophy of every player and get them to play well. A similar approach to Alex Ferguson, but with different skills. He managed to provide this kind of confidence with the Real Madrid players. Yes, sometimes he may not like every player, but he managed brilliantly, won loads of trophies, at the hardest club to manage in world football. Real Madrid is extremely difficult, culturally it's less protective for the players, so you will get exposed and when you do, you have to have the nerves, you have to have that."
The former United striker added: "He has his strength mentally and I think showed that with the amount of trophies that he won. He would be a natural at handling the pressure that comes with managing Man United. He can cope with that, and he would definitely bring way more confidence to the players because they will say, OK, I have to do the hard work because of what this guy has achieved."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
While Zidane continues to be a dream target, Ruben Amorim’s reality at Old Trafford remains bleak. United’s 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday marked their eighth Premier League defeat at home this season – a statistic not seen since the 1962-63 campaign.
With the Premier League top-half finish virtually out of reach, United are now banking on European glory to salvage their campaign. They face Bournemouth in the league this weekend, before travelling to Spain for a pivotal Europa League semi-final first leg clash against Athletic Club at San Mames.
