Real Madrid 'identify two-man shortlist to replace Zinedine Zidane'

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 03 December 2020

Real Madrid 'identify two-man shortlist to replace Zidane'

Real Madrid reportedly identify Mauricio Pochettino and Raul as two potential candidates to replace under-fire manager Zinedine Zidane.

Real Madrid have identified Mauricio Pochettino and Raul as two potential candidates to replace manager Zinedine Zidane, according to a report in Spain.

Defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night was Real's fifth in just 16 matches this campaign, which has thrown Zidane's future in doubt.

The Frenchman has made it clear to the board that he will not resign and Real Madrid hope that he can turn it around, but the club do have plans in place if they feel that the time is right for Zidane to move on.

Pochettino is thought to be Los Blancos' top target, having previously come close to appointing the Argentine as Rafael Benitez's successor only for Daniel Levy to refuse to let his then-manager go.

MARCA reports that Pochettino would be interested in taking over at the Bernabeu and that a contract agreement would be relatively straightforward due to their talks in the past.

However, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United have also been linked with the former Tottenham Hotspur boss, so Madrid have reportedly lined up club legend Raul as a second option.

Raul, who was Madrid's all-time leading scorer until Cristiano Ronaldo overtook his record, is currently in charge of the club's Castilla team and is viewed as a definite future coach of the first team.

However, the board are reluctant to appoint him so early in his coaching career, particularly with the first team struggling for form as they currently are.

Zidane has guided Los Blancos to three Champions League triumphs and two La Liga titles during two spells with the Spanish giants since 2016.