Zinedine Zidane rejected Newcastle job to hold out for managerial hot seat at Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacement

According to El Espanol (h/t The Sun), Zinedine Zidane rejected the opportunity to work at Newcastle United as he is weighing up a move to Manchester United as a potential replacement to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been facing a lot of pressure at Old Trafford since the defeat to Liverpool towards the end of last month. The Norwegian was apparently given three games after being beaten by Jurgen Klopp’s men to save his future at the club.

Since then, the 48-year-old has displayed his tactical nous by fielding a back three against Tottenham Hotspur, which worked out pretty well for them, given that they won 3-0. 

However, this was followed by stale performance against Atalanta as the Red Devils once again needed Cristiano Ronaldo to score in added time to secure points for them –something the Portuguese had already done twice this season.  

The biggest test is yet to come against Man City, and the former Molde manager’s job could be under threat if he suffers a beating or if his side produces another lacklustre performance. In that case, a number of managers were shortlisted by a leading agent to take over from Solskjaer.

Although Antonio Conte joined Spurs in the past week, Brendan Rodgers, Erik Ten Hag, and Zinedine Zidane remain viable options, with the latter now taking an interest in the role. The Frenchman apparently rejected the Newcastle United job, who still have interim boss Graeme Jones managing things at the club after the Saudi-backed ownership sacked Steve Bruce.

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The three-time Champions League winner rejected the Magpies as he is monitoring the situation at Old Trafford or holding out for the opportunity to coach the France national team. However, Didier Deschamps looks more secure in his job after recently winning the UEFA Nations League.

Thus, Solskjaer’s days could be numbered, especially if a manager like Zidane, who is out of work, is vying to take the reins at the managerial hot seat at Old Trafford.