Manchester United and their hierarchy reportedly leaked rumours of bringing Zinedine Zidane in as their next permanent manager as a ‘tactic’ in order to keep star forward Cristiano Ronaldo happy following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in October 2021.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to Old Trafford in the dying days of the summer transfer window to hefty fanfare, but has cut a frustrated figure for large parts of the season. And, with Erik ten Hag thought to be an unpopular choice for many in the Red Devils’ dressing room, the Mirror report that links to Zidane were made in order to keep the veteran forward satisfied.
‘Manchester United reportedly used “baseless” rumours linking Zinedine Zidane with their vacant managerial position as a tactic to keep Cristiano Ronaldo happy’, the English outlet claim.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 09: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on April 9, 2022 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Ronaldo to experience a Europa League season?
Cristiano Ronaldo has never experienced Europa League football before. Across his first spell at Manchester United, his time at Real Madrid and his stint with Juventus, he has always walked out to the Champions League anthem for his midweek football.
But that could be about to change, unless a change of scenery is on the menu for the 37-year-old this summer. Ronaldo’s goals have dried up, and Manchester United’s poor form elsewhere has left them sitting in 7th place, currently staring down the barrel of Europa Conference League, the new third tier system in Europe, next season.
Top 4 looks dead and buried too, with the Red Devils currently priced at 16/1 to overhaul the six point deficit to Tottenham in the final weeks of the season.
Ronaldo could be in uncharted territory.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 31 | 52 | 74 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 31 | 57 | 73 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 30 | 41 | 62 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 | 19 | 57 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 30 | 9 | 54 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 32 | 9 | 51 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 31 | 7 | 51 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 32 | 5 | 49 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 29 | -3 | 40 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 31 | 3 | 37 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 | -9 | 37 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 31 | -4 | 36 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 32 | -9 | 36 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 31 | -15 | 36 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 31 | -20 | 34 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 32 | -30 | 33 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 30 | -19 | 28 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 30 | -19 | 24 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 31 | -31 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 31 | -43 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 12 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 9 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Romero, Cristian | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 11 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
