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Steve McManaman: 'I did not picture Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid coach'

:Headline: Steve McManaman: 'I did not picture Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid coach': ID:267612: from db_amp
Steve McManaman says that he never pictured Zinedine Zidane becoming Real Madrid manager due to the Frenchman's quiet nature.

Ex-Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman has admitted that he was surprised to see his former teammate Zinedine Zidane take the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The legendary Frenchman was promoted to the club's first-team coach in early January following the dismissal of Rafael Benitez, who lasted just six months in charge.

McManaman, who played with Zidane for two years in the Spanish capital, revealed that he felt the 43-year-old did not have a personality suited to management due to his reserved nature.

"I didn't think in the dressing room 'he'd be a manager'," he told The Express. "When he arrived he didn't speak Spanish and he was very quiet. He was an incredible footballer but he normally spoke French and only French.

"You wouldn't think he would be Madrid manager because he wasn't at all vocal in the dressing room. You'd think someone like Fernando Hierro could be a manager because he was a leader and he was Spanish. In some ways Hierro was our manager.

"Vicente del Bosque of course was actually our manager but he was quite quiet. Hierro did the team-talks and f-ed and blinded and shouted 'come on'. Whereas Zizou was quiet, reserved and very professional. He came, trained and went home."

Zidane's side sit third and 12 points behind reigning Liga champions Barcelona, and seven adrift of local rivals Atletico Madrid in second.

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1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97
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