Zinedine Zidane probably couldn't have picked a more conspicuous time to find himself hanging about in the UK.

The France and Real Madrid legend's name has constantly cropped up as part of the ongoing debate over Jose Mourinho's future, with sources telling ESPN FC that tensions between the Manchester United boss and some of his senior players are building.

Witness the tense exchange between Mourinho and Paul Pogba on the training pitch on Wednesday, the day after United's Carabao Cup exit at home against Championship side Derby County.

JUST IN! 😳



Frosty footage just in from @ManUtd's training session between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho... ❄️



What has been said between the pair this morning? 👀 pic.twitter.com/nRiTEgDJlH — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) 26 September 2018

While Mourinho was busy bickering with Pogba in front of the cameras at Carrington, Zidane was all smiles as he and wife Veronique enjoyed a pleasant promenade around London.

First they were pictured near Selfridges on Oxford Street:

And then larking around in an iconic red London phone box on Haymarket, just around the corner from Picadilly Circus:

Both of these locations also just happen to be in very close proximity to Manchester United's London office in the super-rich district of Mayfair.

Who knows, maybe Zidane is giving Ed Woodward's direct line a quick call?

He was already in the English capital this week for The Best FIFA awards ceremony on Monday night, so it could also be the opportune time to cement his future employment plans.

Having left Real Madrid upon winning a third straight Champions League back in May, "Zizou" recently announced that he plans to return to the managerial coal face "soon" having been mentioned in passing as a possible candidate to replace Didier Deschamps as France coach.

However, the 46-year-old is now as low as evens to end up in the Old Trafford hot seat with one bookmaker, as Mourinho continues to lurch from one scowling mini-crisis/personality clash to the next.