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What's the story?
Former Real Madrid player Aitor Karanka is of the opinion that Jose Mourinho would have been as ideal a candidate for the managerial role at the Bernabeu as the club's current boss Zinedine Zidane.
In case you didn't know
Following a series of disappointing results, Manchester United sacked Mourinho from his position as manager in December last year and the Portuguese has since been away from the touchline.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who have endured a dismal season, recently re-appointed Zidane as their manager to salvage the damage that had been done under Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. Mourinho was initially heavily linked with a return to the Bernabeu but the reins were given to the Frenchman instead.
The heart of the matter
Karanka, who was previously Mourinho's assistant during the his stint as Real Madrid boss, has backed the Portuguese to be as fit for the managerial role at Los Blancos as Zidane.
He was quoted as saying,
"Either of the two options would have been great, but you have two different profiles.
"It seemed that Solskjaer had fixed everything done badly by Mourinho at Manchester United, but now they are out of the Champions League.
"In Jose's first season at the club, he won three trophies [the Community Shield, Carabao Cup and Europa League].
"Football moves so quickly that people forget the good things somebody does and only speak about the bad things. Jose will return to the level that we're used to see him manage at."
Speaking of Zidane's re-appointment, the former Real Madrid man said,
"The return of Zidane has brought calmness [back to Real Madrid]. After losing to Ajax and twice against Barcelona, there was a lot of noise [coming from inside and outside the club].
"It has been a difficult season and I've experienced similar situations; it's tough to keep fighting when you have nothing to play for or win.
"Real Madrid is the only club capable of winning three consecutive Champions Leagues and be in crisis inside [the space of] seven months."
What's next?
Real Madrid will next face Getafe in La Liga on Thursday night.
