Zinedine Zidane Will 'Quit' If He Doesn't Have Final Say on Real Madrid Team

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said he wants total authority over first-team decisions or he will "quit" his position.

Los Blancos are set for a summer of significant activity in the transfer market following a terrible campaign, while Zidane has a number of big decisions to make regarding current players. One of those is in regards to his first-choice goalkeeper, with Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas battling for a starting spot.

Given Courtois arrived in a high-profile transfer from Chelsea last summer, many anticipated he would be the Madrid starting stopper, prompting speculation about Navas' future.

When asked about whether the Costa Rican would be leaving the club after Sunday's clash with Real Betis, Zidane offered a feisty response, per Stephen Crawford of Goal:

"Could it be Keylor's last game? I don't think so, nor do I want to think about next season either. There are many rumours about what's going to happen but I'm not going to say anything. Nobody knows what I said to Keylor except him and me.

"I will be clear about who will play when the next season starts. It's my decision. Who do you think is in charge of this team? It's clear as water: I'm the coach, I will always do what I want and if I can't then I'll quit. That's clear."

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Zidane was also asked about rumours linking Madrid with moves for Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann and Eintracht Frankfurt's Luka Jovic. "I'm not going to talk about that," he responded.

The Madrid boss also provided no comment to questions on Isco's future and was coy about Gareth Bale:

Zidane was drafted in at Madrid for a second spell in charge of the club earlier in the season, with Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari having been sacked after challenging tenures.

Madrid were left behind by Barcelona in the title race, eliminated in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey by the Blaugrana and were humiliated by Ajax in the UEFA Champions League, losing the second leg of their last-16 showdown 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The manager has a huge job on his hands this summer as a result, with numerous rumours circulating regarding big-name arrivals and departures. The goalkeeping situation is one that will require clarity before 2019-20 gets underway, too.

Despite Courtois' struggles this season, according to Ben Hayward of the Evening Standard, he will be the regular goalkeeper next term. Xav Salazar said he'd be disappointed if that was the case:

Navas was a key player during Zidane's first spell in charge and was at the base of the team for the three UEFA Champions League successes.

Zidane will hope that after a year at Real, Courtois will be able to kick on this season and showcase the form that made him such a big hit for Chelsea. If he can, the Belgian would provide a secure base upon which plenty of building still has to be done.