Diego Torres, a journalist for Spanish newspaper El Pais, said Zidane was “on the verge of resignation”.

Diego Torres told the independent: “Not signing Pogba puts Zidane on the verge of resignation. Zidane had privately promised Pogba that he would take him to Madrid, but now he looks set to renege. This further reduced the trust between Zidane and Florentino, and none of his promises came true.

“Zinedine Zidane’s return is a shield for Perez, but he has done his political job.”