Zinedine Zidane teases return to football management following sabbatical

Zinedine Zidane has hinted at a return to football management in the near future.

The legendary French midfielder left his role at Real Madrid for a second time in May 2021 and has been out of management since having taken a sabbatical.

Following Mauricio Pochettino's sacking, Zidane was tipped to take charge at Paris Saint-Germain but chose to remain a free agent as the job went to Christophe Galtier.

The 50-year-old was then expected to challenge Didier Deschamps for the role of France national team manager, but Deschamps kept his job and will lead the country into next month's World Cup.

Manchester United were reported to be interested in the three-time Champions League-winning coach but opted to appoint Erik ten Hag instead.

However, the Frenchman is believed to be nearing a return to the dugout after comments he made at a statue unveiling in Paris on Monday evening.

"Do I miss the coach's suit? No, I'm not far away, we wait, we wait a little bit. Soon, soon. I'm not far from coaching again," Zidane told RMC Sport.

Real Madrid and PSG are happy with Carlo Ancelotti and Galtier respectively, which suggests that Zidane may be interested in managing his country after the World Cup should Deschamps depart.