Football News

Zidane admits he is ‘bothered’ by rumours linking Mourinho to his job at Real Madrid

By Ben Green

Published: 12:05, 22 October 2019

Zinedine Zidane has conceded rumours linking Jose Mourinho to his current position at Real Madrid irks him.

The Frenchman has come under increasing pressure these last few weeks after overseeing a tentative start to the season.

Could Mourinho replace Zidane? Five things to know…

  • During his first stint at Real, Zidane won an unprecedented three successive Champions League titles.
  • He left in 2018 but returned earlier this year and has since spent just south of £300m on new signings.
  • However, Real have stuttered in La Liga this season and struggled in the Champions League.
  • This has sparked rumours of a return to Real for Jose Mourinho.
  • Zidane has now conceded speculation regarding his position as Real manager ‘bothers’ him.

Real spent stratospheric amounts in the summer with Zidane recruiting the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao.

However, he has masterminded just five wins from nine in La Liga and has seen his side humbled 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in Europe, as well as failing to beat Club Brugge on home soil.

As such, Mourinho – who has been out of work since December 2018 – has been linked with a move back to his former dugout, much to the annoyance of the current Los Blancos head coach.

Ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League trip to Galatasaray, Zidane told reporters: “In football, people forget what you’ve done in the past.

“The important thing is the present…I’m not going to say it doesn’t bother me what is being said about other coaches, because it does.

“But what I have to do as a coach is to give everything, get the players to do the same, to give everything – and that’s all I can do.

“It’s a great game to play in, a great stadium, Champions League…we know what the situation is and we’re going to try and win.”

Asked if he felt he could lose his job if Madrid are defeated again, Zidane said: “I don’t know. You can’t ask me that. All I can do is try and be here as long as I can. I want to be here forever.”

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Mourinho has already ‘chosen another club’ – Lyon president

Mourinho may be making a considerable impression as a pundit in the Sky Sports studio, recently taking a swipe at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he has made no secret of his desire to return to the managerial hot seat.

And that reunion may be about to unravel sooner rather than later as Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently stated that Mourinho rejected his offer to succeed the recently-sacked Sylvinho as he has already “chosen another club”.

He said: “We had some fairly flattering exchanges over SMS. It was nice for everyone.

“He did not accept our proposal to meet because he has already chosen another club.”