Zinedine Zidane breaks four-year silence on Manchester United manager links

Zinedine Zidane has admitted not fluently speaking English could be an obstacle to taking the Manchester United job in the future.

Zidane, 50, was among the favourites to be appointed manager of United after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November last season. Zidane has regularly been linked with United since leaving Real Madrid for the first time in 2018.

The Frenchman won the Champions League in three consecutive seasons and he ended his second stint as manager of the club last year as the second-most decorated coach in its history. Madrid remains the only club that Zidane has managed.

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Zidane celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday and French outlet L’Equipe marked the occasion with an interview. In that interview, Zidane was asked about whether he would manage United and he discussed a possible language barrier.

“Never say never. Especially when you're a coach nowadays," Zidane said, directly addressing links with United for the first time. “When I was a player, I could choose almost every club. As a coach, there aren't 50 clubs I can go to. There are two or three possibilities. If I go back to a club, it's to win. I say this in all modesty. That's why I can't go [just] 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