By Abbie Meehan

Copyright dailystar

Zinedine Zidane once claimed he would need to master English before considering the Manchester United role. The legendary Frenchman has repeatedly been touted for the managerial hot seat at Old Trafford . Those rumours have emerged again with Ruben Amorim’s position appearing precarious following United’s 3-1 loss to Brentford at the weekend. The Portuguese manager has suffered defeat in 17 of his 33 Premier League matches and is still waiting for consecutive victories with the club. With fifth-placed Sunderland visiting on Saturday, former Red Devils legend Gary Neville believes the under-fire boss could face the axe if the newly-promoted outfit secure a win at the Stadium of Light. Whilst Amorim is understood to retain backing from the Old Trafford hierarchy , it hasn’t prevented supporters and experts from questioning his future – and potential successors. Zidane has consistently been mentioned as a prime candidate for the role, although he has expressed doubts previously. Speaking about the prospect of managing in Manchester, he told L’Equipe in 2022: “Would I want to go to Manchester? I understand English, but I’m not completely fluent in it. “I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way. Many elements come into play in order to win, it is a global context. I know what I need to win.” It remains unclear how much Zidane’s command of English has improved to date and whether he would be interested in the United position should it become available in the near future. Whilst he is presently without a club, he has been heavily tipped for the France role following the 2026 World Cup . Former France international Emmanuel Petit also observed that his former teammate would require additional demands to be fulfilled if he were to establish himself in Manchester. Speaking in 2024, the Premier League legend said: “Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United. “At the moment, the environment at Manchester United for years has not been good. The stability of the bench, the level of the players as well, the expectation of the club is not the same that it used to be. “United is still a huge club, but not on the pitch anymore. And Zizou is very conscious and very careful about that, the quality of the players.” He added: “If he takes the job at Manchester United, that means he’s got solutions. At the moment, I’m not sure a lot of people have the solution to turn the situation at Manchester United. “Does he want to leave the sunny days of Madrid? His life is in Madrid, he is dedicated to Madrid. I’m not sure that he speaks very good English as well. And communication is very important in the dressing room.”