'I've worked with Man Utd target Zinedine Zidane – he's just like Frank Lampard as a boss'

Manchester United have been linked with former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane in recent years, with Erik ten Hag said to be under pressure at Old Trafford following an underwhelming campaign with the Red Devils. And Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic compared the 1998 World Cup winner to Frank Lampard after moving to Chelsea from the Bernabeu.

Kovacic spent three years plying his trade under Zidane in Madrid after joining Real from Inter Milan in 2015. During his time in Spain, the 29-year-old racked up 109 appearances but failed to make it onto the pitch during Madrid’s three consecutive Champions League final triumphs between 2016 and 2018.

Kovacic eventually joined Chelsea on loan in 2018 before making his move permanent the following summer in a £40million deal.

Lampard took over from Maurizio Sarri at the start of Kovacic’s second season in England. And in February 2020, the Croatia international told FourFourTwo: “Zidane was similar to the way Frank Lampard is as a coach, and their approaches really suit me.

“It was nice to play under Zidane, but I thought he could have given me a deserved opportunity in the third Champions League final. That was the main reason for my dissatisfaction, but that’s football and we parted with no bad feelings.”

Zidane is widely regarded as one of the best managers of his generation, having led Real to two Club World Cup successes and two La Liga titles on top of their European trophies. Lampard, on the other hand, was sacked by Chelsea at the start of 2021, before losing his job at Everton two years later.

Zidane has been out of work since quitting Real Madrid in May 2021 following a second spell in charge of the Spanish giants. But the 51-year-old is now said to be attracting interest from Bayern Munich, who are set to part company with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the campaign.