Former Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes has said that he is 'not surprised' that Zinedine Zidane has settled seamlessly into life as manager of the Spanish giants.

Zidane replaced Rafael Benitez as head coach in January 2016, and the Frenchman has led Los Blancos to back-to-back Champions League finals, in addition to landing the La Liga title for the 2016-17 campaign.

Morientes won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid between 1997 and 2002, and the former Spain international has paid tribute to his former teammate.

Morientes told Omnisport: "It is not a surprise for me because he is a good manager. He won La Liga and the Champions League last year. He also did very good work in Castilla.

"The most important thing is that he has very good players. That is the most important thing. It is no surprise. He was a footballer, he knows Madrid and the club very well and all the players. He has a strong mentality and is very calm. At Madrid, it is easier than another team [because of the quality]."

Real Madrid are bidding to become the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titles.