"Only three roles that he would like to accept" - Manchester United target will reject chance to replace Erik ten Hag claims Thomas Gravesen

Former Real Madrid midfielder Thomas Gravesen has said that Zinedine Zidane is unlikely to take up the Manchester United job.

Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is under pressure following an indifferent campaign that has yielded a whopping 15 losses across competitions, including 10 in the Premier League. United remain sixth in the standings following a 2-1 home loss to Fulham last week but are eight points off fourth-placed Aston Villa (52) after 26 games.

Zidane - who has not taken up a managerial role since leaving Los Blancos for the second time in 2021 - is one of the reported targets to replace Ten Hag, as per Metro.

Interestingly, the Frenchman had turned down the Old Trafford job in 2022 due to 'language barrier. Two years later, his stance is unlikely to have changed despite minority United owners INEOS interested in bringing the legendary Frenchman on board.

Gravesen - who played with 'Zizou' at the Santiago Bernabeu - has told Discovery Plus (as per Metro) that only three jobs could see his former teammate return to management:

"I spoke to Zidane in Madrid two years ago, and he told me that there are only three roles that he would like to accept. And they are Marseille, (Real) Madrid and the French national team.

"We were in Madrid two years ago, and he told me exactly that. I also asked him if he was willing to manage again, and there he told me that only if there were possibilities for those three.’

Among the three aforementioned jobs, only the Marseille one could be available this summer, with Didier Deschamps (France) and Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) on contracts that expire in 2026.

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What's next for Manchester United?

Manchester United

Manchester United are in the midst of a hugely undewhelming campaign but were in resurgent form since the turn of the year. However, their seven-game unbeaten start across competitions was snapped with the Fulham loss.

The Red Devils, though, returned to winning ways in midweek, winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in midweek, thanks to Casemiro's 89th-minute winner, to reach the FA Cup quarterfinal. They take on quadruple chasing Liverpool on March 16 at home for a place in the last-four.

However, before that, United are next in action at Manchester City on Sunday (March 3) in the league. The Red Devils lost the reverse fixture 3-0 at home in October, with Erling Haaland (2) and Phil Foden among the goals.