Blanc hails Zidane's Real Madrid appointment

Laurent Blanc has described Zinedine Zidane's appointment at Real Madrid as "beautiful" and wished his former France team-mate success at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Zidane was confirmed as Rafael Benitez's successor on Monday, with the Madrid legend due to take charge of his first game against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.

Blanc and Zidane formed part of France's World Cup-winning team in 1998 and the Paris Saint-Germain boss is thrilled to see the legendary playmaker promoted from Madrid's Castilla side into the top job.

"This was a great player. He is pre-determined to not do things like others and what I like is that it he has been given the means to become a coach," Blanc said.

"His first club is Real Madrid, it's beautiful. As I said, it's extraordinary and I wish him success."

Blanc's PSG return to Ligue 1 action on Friday against Bastia following the winter break and enjoy a mammoth 19-point lead over Monaco at the top of the table.

With PSG also in contention for the Champions League, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue, Blanc feels their healthy cushion in the league affords him a certain luxury over the remainder of the season.

"I will not tell you that [the gap is] a bad thing. We deserved it. We did our Championnat and we did not look at the others," he added.

"It's not a lack of respect. It was a very good course. We want to show our opponents that we want to keep winning.

"This will allow me not to take any risks if a player is not in great shape. It is a luxury that a coach can have. If we miss, say, five major players from the squad, it becomes very complicated."