Zinedine Zidane’s two Man Utd demands as pressure mounts on Ruben Amorim

Manchester United have been linked with Zinedine Zidane as pressure mounts on Ruben Amorim, but the former Real Madrid head coach would want certain guarantees met

Ex-France star Emmanuel Petit has previously suggested that Zinedine Zidane would have certain conditions before agreeing to take the reins at Manchester United.

The Champions League-winning manager’s name has been thrown into the hat as a potential replacement for Ruben Amorim, as pressure continues to build.

United were unable to secure consecutive victories, failing to capitalise on their recent win over Chelsea, with Brentford emerging as 3-1 victors on Saturday. A brace from Igor Thiago in the first half left the visitors with a steep hill to climb after a sluggish start in London.

Benjamin Sesko managed to pull one back, scoring his debut goal for the club, before Bruno Fernandes missed a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot with just 15 minutes remaining.

Mathias Jensen sealed the victory deep into injury time, adding to the misery of the travelling United fans.

The defeat leaves United languishing in 14th place with just seven points, as Keith Andrews’ Brentford leapfrogged them with their win, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Amorim’s position remains under scrutiny due to the team’s ongoing inconsistency and poor form. This has led to speculation linking Zidane with the job, but if a decision is made, they’ll need to persuade the former Real Madrid boss to return to management.

Zidane hasn’t been in the dugout since 2021 after parting ways with Los Blancos for the second time. According to Petit, one of his former teammates, certain demands will need to be met to lure him back.

“Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United,” Petit stated in 2024.

“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 continued: “Could he manage to overturn the situation over there? I think the only answer is yes. But at the moment, when you look at the team, I’m not convinced at all about the level of some players.

“So if I am Zizou, I think it will be very easy, actually, to answer this question [of joining United]. If I don’t speak English on top of it, that will be more problems in terms of communication in the dressing room.

“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.”