Zinédine Zidane 'verbal agreement' for France forces Manchester United to recalibrate summer plan — Carrick, Casemiro and fans in the balance

Why this matters now: reports that zinédine zidane has reached a verbal agreement to take charge of France after this summer's World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico change who is realistically available for Manchester United and accelerate decisions on the interim manager, a key midfield replacement and the club's recruitment roadmap.

Zinédine Zidane move alters United’s list and timing

Coverage emerging about Zinédine Zidane accepting a France job after the World Cup would, if confirmed, remove one high-profile candidate from Manchester United’s summer thinking. That shifts emphasis back onto Michael Carrick’s interim run, the imminent replacement for Casemiro and the club’s broader search for a permanent manager. The real question now is which priorities the club treats as fixed: promoting from within, chasing an established name, or addressing squad holes first.

What the coverage says happened and what is clear

Recent coverage claims zidédine zidane has verbally agreed to take over the France national team after the World Cup. The World Cup is scheduled to be played across the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer, and Didier Deschamps — age 57 — currently leads Les Bleus. Deschamps’s contract is due to expire after the tournament; he has led France since 2012 and taken them to back-to-back World Cup finals and to victory in 2018.

Zidane, age 53, has been out of management since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021. His first stint at the Santiago Bernabeu from 2016 to 2018 produced nine trophies, including three successive Champions League titles. Across his two spells in charge he also secured three Champions Leagues and two La Liga crowns.

Michael Carrick, the squad and the immediate club situation

Michael Carrick, 44, is the current Manchester United interim. He has overseen a revival that includes a five-game unbeaten run — four wins and one draw — and took victories over Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches in charge. Carrick’s recent run continued with a 1-0 win away at Everton on Monday night, leaving United sitting fourth in the table. The Reds are currently placed fourth with 12 matches left to play, including the Everton fixture noted in the recent coverage.

Turnover at the top began earlier in the year when Manchester United parted ways with Ruben Amorim at the turn of the year after a sequence of poor results and a controversial press conference. Amorim had arrived at Old Trafford in 2024. The club did not sign recruits in the winter window while it preferred to settle on a permanent manager first, and Carrick has had to work without that winter business while rejuvenating the squad's spirit.

Squad shifts and managerial shortlist pressure

Casemiro, age 34, is confirmed to be leaving Manchester United when his contract expires; he enjoyed a resurgence this season and is widely viewed as a tough profile to replace. That departure is one of the concrete problems Carrick noted as the club heads into the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, the club’s management has opened a search for a permanent manager with names such as Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique and Xavi mentioned in recent chatter as probable candidates.

• Removal of Zidane from the short list would narrow United’s external options and raise the premium on internal continuity.
• Carrick’s case for permanency depends heavily on United’s final league position and whether the unbeaten run endures.
• Casemiro’s departure creates an immediate recruitment priority in midfield.
• Fan sentiment is mixed: disappointment at Zidane’s unavailability for some, while others argue Carrick deserves a full season to prove himself.
• Confirmation of any of these moves remains unclear in the provided context.

Here’s the part that matters: the club’s next public decisions — who they appoint, whether they prioritise signing a Casemiro-style midfielder, and whether Carrick is given the job — will set the tone for a potentially decisive summer.

Language, fit and the public conversation

Zidane has previously said he understands English but does not fully master it, and that language is one of several conditions he considers when choosing a project. Emmanuel Petit has said he was told Zidane has been learning English recently, stressing that communication matters in a dressing room with many nationalities and expressing scepticism about a move to Manchester United.

What's easy to miss is how these personal considerations — language, timing and the France vacancy — combine with club dynamics to accelerate a decision-making timeline at Old Trafford.

Short micro timeline embedded

• 2012: Didier Deschamps becomes France manager and leads Les Bleus thereafter.
• 2016–2018: Zidane’s first Real Madrid spell, nine trophies including three straight Champions League wins.
• 2021: Zidane leaves Real Madrid for the second time and steps away from management.
• 2024: Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford; he was later dismissed at the turn of the year.
• This summer: World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico; the France vacancy is linked to a post-tournament appointment.

The bigger signal here is that the managerial market is being driven as much by timing and personal decisions as by purely sporting calculations — and Manchester United’s summer will reflect that mixture.