ZIDANE LURKS IN THE BACKGROUND TO TAKE OVER FROM MOURINHO AT MANCHESTER UNITED

Unemployed former manager of Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane has hinted that he may return to work in few weeks time.

The former World Cup winner with France dramatically resigned from his job at Real Madrid after an impressive hat trick victory in the UEFA Champions League and has been without a job ever since.

He told a Spanish TV station TVE that he plans to be back in the game very shortly. Zidane said: ‘Yes, surely. Soon I will return to training because it is what I like and is what I have done all my life.’

Zidane is the favourite to replace Jose Mourinho if the Portuguese is sacked by Manchester United.

He told friends last month that he expects to be offered the Old Trafford gig should Mourinho be removed.

Mourinho is under pressure after a frustrating summer in the transfer market followed by a poor start to the season — United have lost two of their first four games.

And a recent report in The Mirror claimed that Zidane was already preparing for life in the Old Trafford hot-seat by compiling a list of transfer targets.

Toni Kroos, Thiago Alcantara, James Rodriguez and Edinson Cavani are said to be among a list of names that Zidane would like to join him in Manchester should he be appointed as Mourinho’s successor.