Thierry Henry has already confirmed job Man Utd target Zinedine Zidane wants next

Thierry Henry has already confirmed that Manchester United target Zinedine Zidane wants to manage the France national team.

A majestic midfielder in his prime, Zidane played a pivotal role in France's successive triumphs at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He went on to achieve great success as a manager, becoming the first person to win three consecutive Champions League titles after taking charge of Real Madrid in 2016.

But Zidane has been out of work since the end of his second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu in May 2021. In that time, the 52-year-old has been linked to various high-profile clubs, including Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, and United.

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He was linked to the Red Devils job as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's potential replacement in 2021 – and his name has emerged once more as a successor to Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman's abysmal start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Although some have questioned whether Zidane would ever manage in England due to the language barrier, he himself has not ruled out the possibility, saying "never say never" in 2022. However, his compatriot and Premier League great Henry insisted then that Zidane had his heart set on succeeding Didier Deschamps as France’s manager.

Responding to reports of Zidane moving to Juventus two years ago, Henry said on CBS Sports: "I'm not going to go there, I think he is waiting for the national team. So I'm not going to go there. I don't think he will go there [Juventus]. I think he is waiting for one thing and one thing only and that's the national team.

"Why would you get into club football again when you've won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid? " Henry posed rhetorically, suggesting that the allure of managing a national team might be preferable for Zidane, "You won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, why are you going to bother with other clubs when you can have the national team? I wouldn't."

Pressed on whether the French national team job could open up soon, Henry added: "I don't actually know but Zizou has been waiting. He's been linked with a lot of clubs and it never happened. I don't think Zizou would want to do it, I can see him waiting for the national team and it makes total sense."

Unfortunately for Zidane, his dream of managing Les Bleus is yet to materialise, with Deschamps leading the nation at the last two major tournaments, including this past summer’s Euros. Deschamps has managed France since 2012, an unusually long time in modern international football, winning the World Cup in 2018 and losing the 2022 final. He also has a contract to remain France's boss until at least 2026.

Zidane was recently linked to the Saudi Arabia national team after Roberto Mancini was sacked. And he is not the only high-profile manager being mentioned as Ten Hag's potential United successor. Another La Liga icon also reportedly in the frame for the United job is Barcelona hero Xavi, who managed the Catalan giants until the summer.

United are yet to make a decision on sacking Ten Hag, but the patience of club chiefs is wearing thin as the Red Devils find themselves in 14th place after their latest 2-1 loss to West Ham over the weekend.

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