Emmanuel Petit Makes Big Claim About The Prospect Of Zinedine Zidane Becoming United Boss

Emmanuel Petit Makes Big Claim About The Prospect Of Zinedine Zidane Becoming United Boss

Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit claims that Zinedine Zidane is unlikely to be keen on taking the Manchester United job.

Petit played alongside Zidane in France’s national team during the late 90s and early 00s. He says that even though the 49-year-old is learning English, he can’t see the former Real Madrid head coach wanting to work in England:

“Communication is very important, so if you do not speak the language when you arrive at a club like Manchester United, that could be a big problem. I’ve been told that he has been learning English recently, so I think he knows it’s important for his career, but Zinedine being linked with Manchester United – I don’t believe it, to be honest. Of course, he’s a big name but he never played in the Premier League and has very little connection with it, so as I said, I don’t believe it.”


It does seem likely that Petit has some inside knowledge about Zidane’s interest in the hot seat, considering he is an old teammate, and his remarks do tally with reliable English journalists who claim the former Ballon d’Or winner is not interested in the United post.

Reports of Zidane possibly taking the reins at Old Trafford have generally come from abroad, so while there is still a possibility that the Frenchman could be persuaded to move to Manchester, the likelihood does appear to be pretty low at the moment.