Zinedine Zidane ‘not negotiating’ with Manchester United after positive Erik ten Hag talks

As Sir Jim Ratcliffe considers Erik ten Hag’s future with Manchester United, Zidane has been associated with the position of manager.

Zinedine Zidane (Image: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Rumor has it that Zinedine Zidane and Manchester United are not in contract negotiations at this time.

Despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s refusal to comment, the Manchester Evening News has learned that the club owner is not convinced that Erik ten Hag is a good long-term choice. He has only managed to secure victories in half of the club’s 38 games this season.

According to Ten Hag, he and Ratcliffe and his Ineos colleagues had “very positive” first discussions in January, during which they were “on the same page” on a number of issues. United will be fighting Premier League budget restrictions this summer, and severance pay is considered spending.

Ten Hag’s substitutes are a major setback for his United career.

Also, Newcastle United are unwilling to meet the £20 million demand for sporting director Dan Ashworth, so the club may have to pay to get him off gardening leave.

“What I do think is absolutely absurd is suggesting a man who is really good at his job sits in his garden for one and a half years,” Ratcliffe said, further dismissing the asking price as “silly.”

Already snagging Manchester City CEO Omar Berrada, the Ineos chief has the power to bring in a slew of other personnel changes, including the bench coach. Speculation has been circulating in France for the past month that Ratcliffe has his sights set on Zidane to succeed Ten Hag.

Nevertheless, journalist Fabrizio Romano asserts that the Real Madrid icon has not been contacted. “I want to emphasize, though, that as far as I am aware, Zidane has not been in touch with Manchester United. There is currently no concrete information on that,” he stated, according to Caught Offside.

“Zidane is not currently negotiating with United, but we will see what Ineos decides to do in the next months following positive initial discussions with Ten Hag.”

MEN Sport has learned that Ratcliffe is considering a number of possible managers to replace Ten Hag, including Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton & Hove Albion.