90min

Zinedine Zidane refuses to rule out return to Juventus

By Matt O'Connor-Simpson

Zidane has been linked with taking over in Turin
Zidane has been linked with taking over in Turin / Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
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Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane refused to rule out managing Juventus in the future when asked if he missed Italy.

The reigning Serie A champions could be on the lookout for their third manager is as many seasons in the summer with Andrea Pirlo fighting for his job following an underwhelming campaign. The Old Lady are currently 12 points adrift of leaders Inter with 10 Serie A games left to play.

Zinedine Zidane
Zidane excelled during his time at Juventus / Claudio Villa/Getty Images

They also crashed out of the Champions League round of 16, falling to a shock defeat against FC Porto. Their last realistic of silverware is the Coppa Italia, with the Bianconeri set to meet Atalanta in the final on May 19.

One manager who has been linked with taking over from Pirlo is Zidane. The Frenchman enjoyed a fruitful spell in Turin as a player and did not rule out a return to the club when questioned after Real's 3-1 win over Liverpool in the Champions League.

"Italy is always in the heart. Juve has always been important to me. I don't know (laughs). For now I'm here. Let's see," he told Sky Italia (via TuttoMercatoWeb).

Victory against Jurgen Klopp's Reds leave Real Madrid in prime position to progress to the semi-finals of a competition Juventus haven't won for 25 years, although they will need to come through their second leg clash at Anfield unscathed.

Zidane's side took full advantage of a shaky defensive today from the Premier League champions - Vinicius Junior grabbing a brace and Marco Asensio also on the scoresheet - but he conceded that the job is not yet done.

"We can be happy with the game we played but there is a return and we have to finish the job," Zidane warned as he continued talking to the media. "But, I repeat, we can be happy with tonight's race because we ran a complete race.

"I'm happy for Vinicius because he has missed the goal a bit. He scored two tonight and it's big to score in the Champions League. I'm happy for him and for the team. Asensio has scored four games [in a row]. For us it is very important to create for scoring chances and to score. Tonight we did it. We could have scored even more goals."

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