The teammate that made Zidane regret

France legend believes former teammate Steve McManaman has talent but was underused by England in the past.

Zidane and McManaman in Real Madrid colours.

Zidane has praised English football legends such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Paul Scholes. In addition, this legend also highly appreciated McManaman when they both played together at Real Madrid.

Zidane expressed regret when McManaman was left out of the "Three Lions" squad for the 2002 World Cup. The French legend said: "I was surprised McManaman was not there. People had said he would get a chance because of Beckham's injury. But McManaman deserved more than just being a reserve option. He should have been in the starting lineup."

Zidane warned that if England did not call McManaman up, it would be a huge waste, both for the team and the player himself. “If they don’t take him to the World Cup, they will regret it. McManaman can prove to everyone that he should have been called up a long time ago,” the former player said.

At the 2002 World Cup, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson caused controversy when he left McManaman out and put his faith in Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard. This decision made McManaman unhappy. He said: “The reasons given are absurd. I participated in the last match in the qualifying round and everyone was satisfied with that performance. It is difficult to understand."

McManaman has 37 caps for England and scored 3 goals. During his career, the former midfielder played for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City. At Liverpool, McManaman became a mainstay of the club with 46 goals in 272 appearances.

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Source: https://znews.vn/nguoi-dong-doi-khien-zidane-tiec-nuoi-post1539193.html