Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno has defended under-fire manager Zinedine Zidane after their shock Copa del Rey exit.
Madrid crashed out of the cup competition after a defeat to second tier side Alcoyano. The LaLiga giants fell short in extra-time against ten men, despite dominating the match for possession and shots.
Zidane has since not been present at the club and did not oversee their 4-1 victory over Alaves on Saturday after testing positive for coronavirus.
The Frenchman's side sit second in the LaLiga table, behind fierce city rivals Atletico who lead them by four points and have two matches in hand.
And despite their dip in form and embarrassing exit from the Copa del Rey, Butragueno has stood by the Real boss and insisted the team will remain 'united'.
'Everyone knows what Zidane means to us. What we want is for him to return to us as soon as possible,' he told Movistar.
'We know what football is like. We have been around for many years. When the team doesn't win we have to listen to comments and rumours of all kinds. You have to be united and work.'
Zidane has enjoyed much success at the helm of the club he used to play for, leading them to two LaLiga titles and three consecutive Champions League trophies in his two spells in charge.
However, there have been links with other managers to take over from the Bernabeu legend, with RB Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann tipped for the hot seat.
This is not the first time Nagelsmann has been linked with a move to the LaLiga giants - having gained their interest in 2018 following an impressive season with Hoffenheim.
Speaking of the most recent links to Real Madrid, Nagelsmann told Sky Sport Germany: 'There are definitely worse things to read.
'But I also know that things that are written in the newspapers are not always true.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com