The changes Zidane will make if he replaces Ole at Man Utd
Robin Bairner
- 15 Nov 2021 13:37 CST
- 3 min read
Zinedine Zidane is among the favourites to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager.
A string of poor results have Solskjaer’s job dangling by a thread and a run of poor results over the nest fortnight could well see the Norwegian lose his post.
Man Utd have Premier League matches looming against Watford, Chelsea and Arsenal, with the latter two set to play a big part in the top four race even this early in the season. Throw in a testing Champions League trip to Villarreal on 23 November and this has the potential to be a defining period of the season.
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If Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is presently favourite, Zidane is arguably preferable given his proven pedigree with Real Madrid.
So if he inherited this squad, how would Zidane’s Manchester United look?
How Zidane would change Man Utd
Zidane has a clear preference for playing in a 4-3-3 formation, which would mark a departure away from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 4-2-3-1, which could become a 3-5-2 in the coming weeks as he seeks to become conservative to protect his job.
As a coach, Zidane likes to play on the front foot and has shown no inclination to back away from that instinct.
In attack, he already has a strong relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, and of course the Portuguese would take centre stage in the offensive line. Flanking him, though, would be two outright wingers, one of whom would surely be Jadon Sancho. Mason Greenwood would be favourite for the other spot.
The midfield trio would see Bruno Fernandes as the most creative player, with Paul Pogba potentially deployed on the left. The France star functioned at his best for Juventus in a middle three, albeit a 3-5-2. Fred and Scott McTominay would fight for the other position.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, another player Zidane knows well from Real Madrid, would take up station in defence ahead of David de Gea.
An increased focus would be on the full-backs, who would be expected to offer width offensively. Luke Shaw looks well equipped to do that on the left but Man Utd lack a similar option on the right, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka is notorious for producing too little. Diogo Dalot could even get his shot.
Zidane to Man Utd, then, would mean substantial changes in the composition of the team, with Sancho the big winner.
Read more about: Premier League, Man Utd
