Emmanuel Petit, the former France international, has previously suggested that his old team-mate Zinedine Zidane would require certain conditions to be fulfilled before he would consider taking the reins at Manchester United. The Champions League-winning manager's name has been thrown into the hat as a potential successor to Ruben Amorim, whose position is again under scrutiny following his comments after the draw at Leeds United.

United have climbed to sixth in the Premier League table and are three games unbeaten, but one of those was a stalemate at home to Wolves before they were held to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road. After, Amorim complained about his lack of power at Old Trafford and hinted he will leave the club in 18 months' time when his contract expires, if he is not sacked before then.

That means Amorim's future at United is once again a major talking point, with INEOS left considering whether to axe him after his public criticisms of the club's hierarchy. This will undoubtedly lead to fresh speculation linking Zidane with the job, but luring the former Real Madrid boss back into management may prove challenging.

Zidane has been out of the managerial game since 2021 when he parted ways with Real Madrid for the second time. But he remains a highly sought-after coach given he won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Los Blancos as well as two La Liga titles.

According to Petit, who played alongside Zidane for France, certain demands will need to be met to coax him back into the dugout. "Honestly, I know a little bit, Zizou [Zidane], and he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United," Petit stated in 2024.

"At the moment, the environment at Manchester United for years has not been good. The stability of the bench, the level of the players as well, the expectation of the club is not the same that it used to be.

"United is still a huge club, but not on the pitch anymore. And Zizou is very conscious and very careful about that, the quality of the players."

He further added: "Could he manage to overturn the situation over there? I think the only answer is yes. But at the moment, when you look at the team, I'm not convinced at all about the level of some players.

"So if I am Zizou, I think it will be very easy, actually, to answer this question [of joining United]. If I don't speak English on top of it, that will be more problems in terms of communication in the dressing room.

"If he takes the job at Manchester United, that means he's got solutions. At the moment, I'm not sure a lot of people have the solution to turn the situation at Manchester United.

"Does he want to leave the sunny days of Madrid? His life is in Madrid, he is dedicated to Madrid. I'm not sure that he speaks very good English as well. And communication is very important in the dressing room."