Zinedine Zidane Discusses Real Madrid Manager's Job, Paul Pogba and More

French football legend Zinedine Zidane appears to be mapping out his immediate future, displaying a strong interest in managing both Real Madrid and France's national team at some point in the future.  

As reported by Reuters (via The Guardian), the former midfielder and current Real Madrid Castilla coach chose his words carefully during an interview with Canal+, but he did make it clear he would take the job with Los Blancos right now should it be offered to him:

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If the role is offered to me I would agree to it but once again there is an amazing coach in place. I’ve got time, I’m learning. I did not become the player I was in two years, it’s the same in coaching. I’ve learnt a lot from Carlo Ancelotti and he knows how highly I think of him. He is the perfect coach for Real Madrid, despite what people are saying.

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Zidane worked under current manager Carlo Ancelotti last season, helping the Italian guide the team to the UEFA Champions League title before taking the job as coach of Los Blancos' reserve team.

Since then, Ancelotti has come under fire as Real have endured a difficult spell, and per ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney, that shouldn't come as a huge surprise:

Ancelotti's job may be on the line heading into the final part of the 2014-15 season, and there are strong rumours linking him with Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Italian and City have denied those rumours, but as shared by football writer Wayne Veysey, that doesn't have to mean anything:

But Real Madrid isn't the only team Zidane would like to coach one day. As per Canal+ (via Sky Sports), he also has his eye on the French national team:

Didier Deschamps is currently in charge of Les Bleus and has done an excellent job of bringing in the next wave of talent. Anchored by midfielders Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi and with the prolific Karim Benzema up front, they're strong contenders for Euro 2016, a tournament the nation will host.

The French media asked Deschamps about Zidane's interest in his job after their 2-0 win over Denmark on Sunday, suggesting he'd take over as president of the federation. Per French outlet L'Equipe, he admitted he believes Zidane has all of the qualities required:

Zidane would work with Pogba should he step into Deschamps' role, but even if he instead opted to become manager of Real, he'd likely make a strong push to sign the Juventus ace.

As per Canal+ (via Marca), he remains a big fan of the youngster, and he thinks it's "logical" Real has an interest in the 22-year-old.

The two share a lot of similarities. When Zidane moved from Juventus to Madrid, he was seen as the best player in the world, and while fans didn't like the move initially, the Bianconeri used the funds from that transfer to buy a handful of key players who helped the team reach new heights.

A similar situation could arise with Pogba, who will fetch an enormous fee when he does decide to move on, per Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson:

Pogba is expected to stay in Turin for another season, and a big performance at Euro 2016 could be the start of a massive bidding war later that summer. Real Madrid will likely be among the interested teams, even if they have no need for another midfielder.

Going by Zidane's latest comments, he's hoping he might be the one calling the shots by that time.

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