Zinedine Zidane breaks silence on future plans amid Manchester United links

Manchester United-linked Zinedine Zidane has broken his silence on his future plans, stating he has no intention of managing Bayern Munich.

The Frenchman, who has been jobless since the conclusion of his second stint at Real Madrid in 2021, has been linked with several high-profile roles, including those at Bayern and Manchester United. However, when asked about his future plans at the Miami Grand Prix, he dismissed the idea of succeeding Thomas Tuchel at the German club this summer.

When questioned specifically about taking over at Bayern, Zidane told Sky Germany: "No. I am going to watch the game [the second leg of Bayern's Champions League semi-final against Real]. I hope Madrid wins but it is going to be a difficult and complicated match."

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This statement from Zidane will likely be seen as positive news for United fans, especially after French publication L'Equipe reported last month that he was considering replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. Ten Hag's future remains uncertain following a lacklustre second season at the helm.

United's early exit from the Champions League group stages and their failure to qualify for next season's tournament have left them trailing 13 points behind the top four. New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently took full control of football operations, has already started making changes and is yet to publicly support Ten Hag.

On the other hand, Ten Hag maintains an optimistic attitude about his position next season, despite the departure of key supporters John Murtough and Richard Arnold. Responding to whether their exits left him vulnerable, Ten Hag remarked: "No, I don't have that feeling. I work well with them, we are aligned, we communicate every day.

"There are already new people in a new structure and we communicate on a daily basis. I don't think in [terms of] danger.

"I think in opportunities. I never think in problems, I think 'how do we solve those problems or avoid them?', he is already arranging for the upcoming transfer window, given injury issues this season.

"Yes, that is one of the issues in constructing the squad where we have to improve, to do things better. To construct a squad where we have more depth.

"I'm not sure [if that means more signings than usual]. But I think the most important thing is to get players back."