Jose Mourinho's Zinedine Zidane comments reveal interesting relationship between the two managers

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is feeling the heat at the moment after his club were beaten 3-1 by West Ham. According to reports, Zinedine Zidane is breathing down the neck of the Red Devils boss, and is ready to take his place at the Old Trafford club. Zidane is even believed to be learning English in case he is offered the job. Interestingly, Mourinho and Zidane have quite a lot of history, and it was in fact the Portuguese who helped the Frenchman make the jump into management. Back in October 2010, Mourinho, who was at this point Real Madrid boss, asked president Florentino Perez if he could work with Zidane - who was his special advisor at the time - more closely. "I would like to have him more with me and less with the president," explained Mourinho. "I don't think he wants to become a coach but I would still like to have him with me." After Mourinho's intervention, Zidane started travelling with the first team, offering advice, and attending coaching meetings with the Portuguese. His footballing knowledge had an immediate impact on Real Madrid, particularly on fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema, which was picked up on by Mourinho. In 2011, the now Manchester United boss said: "The main person responsible is Karim himself. There is also the positive influence of other players, of myself because I put a lot of pressure on players to play to the maximum ability.